


Ori's Senior Year - Fast Times at Erebor High

by pandorasxbox



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkwardness, Bad Decisions, Bullying, Cheating, Confusion, Consensual Underage Sex, Durin Family, Durincest, Embarrassment, Flirting, Frustration, Jealousy, Lies and Deceit, M/M, Oral Sex, Piercings, Protective Fíli, Protective Kíli, Recreational Drug Use, Slow Build, Tattoos, Truth, Underage Drinking, Voyeurism, fili's a tease, gimli's a dick, kili's possessive, supportive friends, tauriel's a bitch, will be a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-03-04 08:04:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 56,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3023123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandorasxbox/pseuds/pandorasxbox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ori has lived a sheltered life attending a small private school for eleven years, but now he must finish his senior year in a public school after his brothers can no longer afford the tuition. Two unconventional brothers befriend the shy boy helping him through his last year of high school  transforming the awkward teen by the time he graduates after a few fast times at Erebor High.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Day of School

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own these Tolkien/Jackson characters!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Setting up a few of the characters, following Ori on his first day of school.

“But Dori, I don’t want to go to this new school! The kids there will make fun of me.” Ori pleaded with his eldest brother.

“Why would anyone make fun of you? You’re smart, witty and quite handsome! What’s not to like?” Dori finished straightening Ori’s bowtie and handed him a blue backpack.

“I wish I could go back to my old school. I’m going to miss my teachers there.” The shy teen thought about the special attention he had always received from his teachers all the years he went to a private school with very few pupils he had grown up with. 

Dori felt bad having to take his youngest brother out of his private school. The only school he had ever known. After their mother died, they had so many bills to pay and just didn’t have enough money for the tuition to let Ori finish his senior years there. 

“Can’t I just be home schooled or take on-line classes, please?” Dori sighed at Ori’s attempts to avoid public schooling. 

“I’m sorry Ori, but you have to go to public school. It is only for one year, and it’ll be all over. It’ll be good for you because you need to learn how to get over your social anxieties anyway. I’m sure you’ll do great! You’re so smart you’re sure to earn a scholarship so you can go to college too.” The elder brother smiled patting the younger on the shoulder. 

Their middle brother, Nori just woke up as he shuffled into the kitchen yawning ready to make his coffee. “What’s going on?” 

“Today is Ori’s first day of his senior year! Tell him what fun it’ll be!” Dori tried his best to get Ori excited for school.

“Loads…” Nori said sarcastically. He went to public school. Dori refused to tell Ori stories of their brother’s high school days. 

Rolling his eyes, Dori looked back at Ori standing there looking down shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his trousers. “Don’t act like Nori in school and you’ll do just fine!” 

Ori gave his eldest brother the biggest, saddest puppy dog eyes ever. “I really don’t want to ride the school bus either. I think that scares me even more than school. Can you take me to school?” 

Dori had hoped Ori would ride the school bus to save money on the extra gas, not to mention the time it would take away from himself or Nori getting to work in the morning. It was more important at least for now to do whatever it took to help the boy feel comfortable and adjust to his new routine, but not this morning.

“I’m so sorry, Ori. Of all mornings, I have to be at work early today.” Ori’s eyes lower feeling even more nervous now. 

“Nori? Could you take him to school this morning please?” 

Pouring the coffee into a travel mug, Nori yawned again and scratched his arse. “Sure. Give me a second to get dressed.” 

Ori smiled at his small victory as Nori laughed and ruffled the teens neatly combed hair. “Get in the truck kid. I’ll be out in a sec.”

Dori huffed and immediately began smoothing down the frazzled ginger locks. “Be good and make lots of new friends, okay?” Ori weakly tried to smile and headed out to his brother’s beat up red pickup truck.

 

Pulling up to the curb of the very large high school, sweat began to bead on Ori’s brow as he clutched his brown paper lunch bag so tight his fingers were turning white. 

Nori put the rumbling truck into park in the designated drop-off area to let his brother out. “Here you are.”

“Nori…I can’t! I just can’t! Take me home! Please!” The teen’s eyes began to tear up with fear.

Nori shook his head. “I’m sorry Ori, but you have to go! Please don’t do this to yourself. Just relax, everything will be just fine. Just go straight to your locker and your classroom like you practiced when we picked up your schedule. You don’t have to speak to anyone just yet. Keep an open mind and stay positive about everything, okay?”

Ori took a deep breath trying to relax as he popped open the door of the truck and slid out of seat. Nori gave his brother a nod as the door slammed shut and he drove away.

The skinny teen turned around and began to walk toward the building that loomed before him. It looked like a prison, he thought. Keeping his head down trying not to make eye contact with anyone, he was eventually walking the long hallway to his locker. Being pushed and bumped unintentionally by the crowds of other teens he felt like cattle being herding along.

 _‘Think positive Ori! This is normal…everyone else is being pushed and knocked around too!’_ He tried telling himself. 

Suddenly he was accidentally shoved from behind causing him to trip and fall into someone causing the boy with the long dark hair to crash into his locker dropping all his books and belongs. “What the fuck dude!”

Ori’s eyes widened with fear as the tall boy rounded on him to see who it was that could be so careless. “I’m so sorry! Someone p-pushed me an-and I…I tripped! Let me help you pick up your things.” 

Just as Ori began to kneel down, he heard another voice. “What’s wrong Kili?”

“This klutz knocked my stuff all over the floor, now I’m going to be late for my first class! Fuck!” The dark haired boy was quite stressed until the blond boy gave him a side hug.

“Calm down Kee! Here, I’ll help you.” The blond was much calmer than the other Ori thought. _‘Good! This one seems nice and he isn’t going to yell at me. I like him already!’_

“Hi there. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you here before. I’m Fili. What’s your name?” Fili helped Ori pick up the dropped items handing everything over to the taller boy.

“I’m Ori. Yes, I’m new here. This school is quite different from what I’m used to.” He turned his eyes to the boy he fell into. “I am very sorry.”

The dark haired boy huffed slightly as if put-out a little. “It’s cool. I’m just a little stressed. I hate the first day of school.”

Fili grinned taking note of the new boy’s jitters. “This is Kili. My younger brother. I'm a senior, he's a junior.”

Ori smiled taking a moment to study the two of them. Kili had a toned body and was a little taller with long loose dark curls, dark eyes outlined with black eyeliner, a nose ring and a stubble beard. He wore tight black jeans and a tight blue t-shirt showing off a few tattoos on his defined arms. 

Fili was a little shorter wearing dark jeans with a black t-shirt stretching over a broad chest and muscular arms displaying more tattoos than Kili. He had sky blue eyes enhanced by the contrast of the black eyeliner he also wore not quite as heavy as his brother. He also had a nose ring & a couple eyebrow piercings. His hair was golden blond, thick with waves and curls framing his bearded face.

“Nice to meet you both. I really need to get going.” Ori lowered his head and scurried on down the thinning hallway to his classroom.

 

The lunchroom. Another scary place to be. Ori brought his lunch in his brown paper bag, but he needed to go through the lunch line to get a drink. He also grabbed a candy bar which Dori would not have approved of, but he felt he deserved a special treat for making it through school this far today. Only a few more hours until he would be released from this zoo.

Walking into the cafeteria, it seemed like a room of endless tables that were almost already filled with every type of personality. _‘Where are my people?’_

He pushed up his glasses and scanned the room for anyone he knew from his calculus class or advanced chemistry class.

He felt like the eyes of every person in the room was watching his every move waiting for him to screw up somehow. Then he heard the names, and the teens saying those words were not whispering. They were brazen about it, and wanted him to hear their rudeness.

“Ori!” Hearing his name, he turned around somewhat relieved to see a couple familiar faces. 

Fili waved him over to the corner table where he and Kili and two others were seated away from everyone else. At first he liked being way back in this corner of the cafeteria, until he noticed something odd about his new acquaintances. 

Ori felt a certain uncomfortableness to the way Fili was tucked close to Kili under his arm wrapped around him leaning against his brother. The blond was wearing the same sly grin he had earlier that morning. 

“Sorry about this morning.” Kili said in an even tone. “I didn’t mean to be so rude.”

Ori sat down with his lunch across from the two boys at the picnic style table in between two other boys. As Kili introduced the others to Ori, the skinny ginger boy couldn’t help notice the way Fili was still staring at him. 

“This is Faramir and Boromir. They’re brothers too. Guys, this is Ori. He’s new here.” The two greeted the new boy and went about eating their lunch and scrolling through the messages on their phones.

Ori opened his lunch bag and prepared his sandwich, then twisted the lid off of his water bottle. Just as he took the first bite of his sandwich, his eyes fell on Fili.

When their friends weren’t looking, the blond wet his lips with his tongue showing off the silver barbell pierced through it before biting his lower lip giving him a wickedly sexy smile adding a wink for good measure. Ori sort of choked and almost spit out the bite he took hurrying to take his eyes off Fili. 

Kili had been looking around the room until Ori sputtered grabbing his water to take a quick drink. “Are you okay?”

The shy teen took a deep cleansing breath before he nodded and squeaked “Yeah…I’m good.”

Seeing the reaction he got out of the new boy, Fili couldn’t help but push him even further. “I bet you are.”

Ori’s throat went dry as he reached for his water bottle again. Kili’s dark eyes shot Ori an evil look, then he looked down at Fili who looked up at him with his bright blue eyes. “Are you flirting with him?”

Fili could feel Kili’s jealousy flare. The blond smiled sheepishly at his younger brother. “Of course not, Kee!” He loved it when Kili got jealous. “Do you think we have time to go out to the car?”

Kili lightened up giving his brother a lustful look. “Let’s go. I don’t care if I’m late getting back to class now.”

After the brothers left, Ori felt even more awkward sitting between Faramir and Boromir. Neither one had said a word all through lunch, and they obviously hadn’t see what he saw, but apparently they just knew.

“Don’t worry about it.” Boromir said, then Faramir added. “They love each other.”

Ori just kind of shrugged his shoulders and smiled. “I love my brothers too.”

Then Faramir shook his head. “No. I mean they _love_ each other… _a lot._ ”

When Faramir’s statement finally sunk in, Ori swallowed thickly. “OH! Oh my!”

Boromir smirked. “It’s not that big a deal. Everyone here knows, and no one would ever mess with those two anyway. They have lots friends and a big family.”

 

Pushing himself up in the back seat of their car, Fili zipped up the zipper of his jeans and gave Kili a deep kiss filling his need to taste himself on brother’s lips. 

When they parted from their kiss, Kili’s words brushed against Fili’s lips. “Why did you flirt with Ori like that?”

“Why? Were you jealous brother?” Fili was such a tease.

“You know it makes me jealous when you flirt!” The dark haired brother said backing away trying to wipe the stray black eyeliner away.

The blond grabbed Kili’s arms pulling him back into another kiss. “Yes, I do know and your jealousy makes me very horny.” 

Kili leaned into kiss his brother a little more passionately. “Please don’t tease me like that, it makes me crazy. I don’t want to share you with anyone!”

Fili tried to put his brother’s mind and heart at ease. “You’re the only one I’ll ever love Kee.”

 

Ori held his binder close against his chest trying not to make eye contact with anyone as he hurried down the corridor to his next class. Only two more classes before the end of the day, and they were both his favorite subjects of all. Art and creative writing. Ori took his seat in Art looking around at the displays of student artwork from years past. 

Taking a good look at his art teacher, Ori would have mistaken him for a student. He had long dark blond hair and beard, wearing a loose t-shirt, cargo shorts and flip-flops. The teacher smiled with a sincere warm greeting. “Good afternoon everyone! Hope you’re having a fantastic first day back to school! My name is Mr. Durin, but please call me Frerin. I like to keep my classroom stress free. Creativity doesn’t flow easily when my students are stressed out and I’d like to think we’re all friends in this room." Relaxation music played quietly in the background. "You treat me with respect and you’ll receive it back…understand?” Just as the small number of students in this classroom answered in unison, the door opened and closed behind a late student.

Frerin sighed in frustration, and he apparently already knew him. “You’re late, Kili.” He looked around the room for a seat for his tardy student. “Take that seat over there next to the boy with the bowtie please.” 

Kili gave a nod and slumped over to sit next to Ori. The bowtie boy smiled feeling satisfied he would know someone in this class. “Hey! This is so cool we have a class together!”

Kili wasn’t exactly excited about that fact. “Yeah. Cool.”

“Have you had this teacher before? He knew your name.”

“No. He’s my uncle.”

“Oh.” 

Kili practically bolted out of the Art room before Ori had a chance to say anything to him. It wasn’t completely personal, he didn’t want to stick around to get lectured by his uncle about being late to class.

 

Ori’s last class of the day was Advanced Creative Writing. He loved to make up stories and being so talented in art, he could draw or paint pictures to go with his stories too.

As the students filed into the room, this teacher was taking names and assigning seats as soon as they walked through the door.

“What is your name?” The teacher with a deep voice and very long dark hair asked.

Ori quietly gave the teacher his name and was told where to sit. He didn’t like sitting in the back of the classroom, but he cut through a couple desks and made his way to the back of the room to take his seat. 

“Hey Ori!” Right behind him was a certain blond that made his pulse race.

Fili plopped into the chair right next to him. Ori wasn’t sure this was a good thing or not. The blond stretched out his legs turning in his seat just enough to get a good look at the shy boy who was suddenly turning a shade of red feeling the heat in his cheeks.

“Hey Fili…umm, could you like…maybe not stare at me please?” 

Fili laughed out loud showing his deep dimples. “Sorry…didn’t know I made you that uncomfortable.”

 _‘So he has been staring at me on purpose!’_ Ori flushed a little. The blond did make him very uncomfortable, but strangely enough...in a good way after he thought about it. Obviously no one had ever flirted with him before. It was nice someone gave him attention that didn't make him feel bad about himself for once.

Finally the bell rang and he was free to leave this craziness.

“See you tomorrow, Ori!” Fili said as he started to pass him.

“Oh, you’re not going this way?” Ori pointed in the direction he needed to go for Nori to pick him up.

Fili shook his head. “No, I have to meet Kili. We drive to school together, so we park out there.” He said waving a hand toward the student parking lot.

“Oh, okay then. I thought maybe you could meet my brother.” Ori pushed up his glasses and dropped his head tucking his book under his chin before walking away.

Fili called after the bowtie boy. “Maybe another day, okay?” Ori gave him a nod and smiled. 

 

Nori was shocked to see his little brother who just this morning left his truck practically in tears, grinning impishly from ear-to-ear. 

“Well! From that look, I’d say you had a pretty good day, huh?” 

Ori nodded looking out the car window in the direction of the student parking lot hoping to catch sight of his new friends. “Yes, I did and I can’t wait to come back tomorrow!”


	2. Neighbors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ori gets a new neighbor and Kili deals with his old neighbor.

Ori was up and ready for school before either of his brothers were out of bed. After slipping a couple notebooks into his backpack, he picked up his thick black framed glasses and cleaned them with his button down shirt before sliding them on. He heard loud noises coming from outside so he pulled back the shear curtain to look out the front window to see a large moving truck parked in the driveway next door. The house next to theirs had sat empty for over a year.

Dori startled the teen peeking out the window when he said. “What are you doing Ori?”

Dropping the curtain he turned around to see his oldest brother standing there, arms folded. “Someone’s moving in next door!”

“Good! Glad that house finally sold!” Now the eldest was peeking out from the same spot at the window.

“I always thought that house was haunted. It’s creepy.” Ori said timidly.

“Oh Ori! Don’t be silly!” Dori scoffed and hurried off to the kitchen where he heard Nori making his coffee.

“Hey Ori, did you get to tell Dori anything about your first day of school last night?” 

Dori didn’t have much time to chat last night due to his hectic work schedule. Working for Bombur’s catering business would not only require him to work in the mornings, but he sometimes had to work late into the evening for whatever venue the food had been prepared for making for very long hour days. 

“I’m sorry Ori. You were asleep when I got home late last night. Did you have a nice day?”

Ori tipped his head to the side a little shoving his hands into his pockets. “It was scary at first, but I made a couple new friends.” He couldn't hide his impish grin.

“That’s wonderful! See I told you it would be good for you to meet some new people!” Dori looked around to find a clock. “You two better get going. Have another wonderful day!”

Nori and Ori stepped off their front porch to go to Nori’s truck when they saw her next door. A tall teen girl with very long dark hair walking along side of the moving van getting into the SUV parked in behind the van. Seeing her two new neighbors, she smiled and waved shyly.

Ori pulled his shoulders up to his ears with an awkward smile he wiggled his fingers at her following Nori to the truck. 

Nori wouldn’t be himself if he didn’t tease his little brother just a little. “Well! I don’t think I’ve ever seen that shade of red before, kid!”

 

Laughter, chatter, banging of locker doors and a few shouts echoed in the school hallways as the students filed into the building from a couple different directions. Not quite as frightened today knowing what to expect, Ori joined in the flow of kids bouncing off each other like pinballs heading toward his locker. 

The skinny ginger boy pulled out the books he needed, putting his backpack away he slammed the locker shut and jumped catching his breath. 

“Oh my gosh, Fili! You scared the daylights outta me!” The blond succeeded in surprising him.

“Ready for another exciting day Einstein?” Fili shifted his books under his arm and stepped a little closer to him.

“Actually, yes I am.” The smart boy chuckled at the nickname. “How did you know that was my nickname?” 

Fili made a face. He didn’t really know that, he just said it jokingly because he thought Ori was smart.

Suddenly someone slapped the skinny teen on the back causing him to stumble forward into Fili. The blond grabbed Ori by the arm to steady him and took the opportunity to kiss the air between them followed by his sexy grin. 

“Hey! If it isn’t bowtie boy!” Ori turned around quickly pulling away from Fili to see Kili standing there. He wasn’t quite sure how to read the dark haired teen’s smile still trying to recover from the air kiss Fili just gave him. Kili was being a smartass, but he was in an obviously much better mood this morning apart from yesterday as the smile turned friendly.

“H-Hi Kili…” He cowered just a tad. “I’m glad to see you’re in a better mood.” 

Fili got that look again. “I took care of him this morning.”

Ori pulled his books closer to his chest trying not to think of what Fili could have meant by that.

Just then as if in slow motion like in the movies Ori thought, there was his new neighbor walking down the thinning hallway as if she were a runway model. Her long flowing locks bouncing as she walked. Her sapphire eyes perked up and she smiled sweetly when she recognized Ori from home this morning. 

Kili and Fili watched her glide by, before Kili commented. “Well…I’m impressed! What’s the story there Bowtie?”

Ori felt a bit giddy. No girl, especially one so pretty ever gave him a second look much less even acknowledge his presence. “She’s moving into the house next door to me. I haven’t got to actually meet her yet.” He tugged and fiddled with his bowtie nervously. “I wouldn’t know what to say to her.”

“Invite us over and we can help you with that…” Kili suggested looking over at his brother for the support he wasn’t going to get, in which Ori didn’t think he was ready to introduce these two to Dori anyway.

“Right Kee…And how are you going to help him, hmm? I believe the last time you said anything to a girl you needed at ice pack for your black eye!” Fili was referring to an altercation that happened about a month ago between his brother and their next door neighbor.

“Tauriel’s a bitch!” Kili huffed.

“I heard that, you freakin’ loser!” A tall fiery redhead walking by shoved Kili with one swift motion knocking him back against the locker as she continued down the hall with her friend.

Still leaning back against the lockers he just smirked watching her disappear around the corner. “She wants me.” 

The morning bell rang.

Fili rolled his eyes. “Whatever, let’s go…see you at lunch Ori!” 

  


First class of the morning, World History had to be the most boring of all Ori’s subjects this term. It also wasn’t as challenging as his advanced math and science classes, not to mention he was very uncomfortable with some of the kids in this class.

The brothers Boromir and Faramir were in this class, though he liked them there were others such as Kili’s redheaded nemesis Tauriel, Gimli and Azog he wasn’t so crazy about. 

“Hi Ori!” A gentle voice pulled the shy teen away from the book he was reading as the girl with the long blond curls sat in the chair in front of his. 

“Hi Éowyn.” Girls made him very nervous, but then he got nervous just about everything. 

The little blond girl reciprocated a wave from Faramir from across the classroom. Ori watched curiously as Faramir’s brother smacked the younger in the arm.

“You better mind yourself, Bro. Éomer warned you he was going to kick your ass if you even looked at his sister again after what you did.” Boromir reminded.

“I almost made it across the street before he figured out it was me!” 

Ori was about to turn back to his book when he caught sight of his new neighbor sitting toward the front of the classroom.

 

 _‘Finally time for lunch, I’m so hungry!’_ Ori hurried through the lunch line to grab his water. He reached for a candy bar, but in his head heard Dori telling him he shouldn’t so he moved on to punch in his lunch account code and entered the cafeteria. 

With a little more confidence today, he walked through the crowded room blocking out any rude comments as he headed toward the back of the cafeteria where his friends were the day before. There was a new body at the table today. 

“Hey Ori! This is Bard.” Fili said, and Kili added “He’s the captain of our archery team.”

“Archery? Cool.” Ori wasn’t physically inclined to play any sports and anything like archery even seemed way too physical.

Bard greeted him and asked, “Kili’s on the team. Do you do anything, you know like archery?”

Ori shook his head. “No. I usually join math or science clubs.” He bowed his head knowing how geeky he sounded to these guys.

“Ori, isn’t that your new neighbor over there?” Kili pointed in the direction of the girl with the long dark hair walking aimlessly through the cafeteria lost like Ori had done yesterday. “Go talk to her, ask her come over here and join us.” Kili waved a hand shooing the bowtie boy.

Ori turned his eyes back to his lunch. “I can’t Kili. I’m too afraid to say anything to her. I’d probably make a fool out of myself. I’d probably just stutter and get all tongue-tied.”

Without a word, Kili stood pulling away from his brother heading straight for the tall beauty.

Ori flushed with embarrassment. “Oh he’s not, is he?”

Fili laughed not sure if he was laughing at Ori or what was about to happen to his brother seeing a certain redhead approaching.

He was at least able to be introduced to the new girl before Tauriel caught up to them. 

“Hi, I’m Kili”

“Hi, I’m Arwen” She smiled sweetly ducking her head a little.

“Would you like to join us over at our table?” He pointed toward the table in the corner.

She saw the five guys watching them, and before she could say anything Tauriel swooped in and shot glaring daggers at Kili.

“Get lost Kili! Don’t you have a brother to go suck off or something?” The redhead took Arwen by the arm leading her away from him to sit at her table.

"Fuck you, Bitch!” He shouted as everyone nearby quieted to look at him.

She twisted around to hiss. _“You wish!”_

The dark haired teen clenched his fists. It took everything out of him to keep from yelling every obscenity at Tauriel, but he just stood there seething for a minute before heading back to his brother’s side.  
Fili knew not to laugh as he put his arm around his brother because he already knew that conversation didn’t go well. 

“Why do you let her get to you like that? We grew up with her, and she’s been a bitch ever since she learned how to talk!”

Kili didn’t have an answer, but their redheaded next door neighbor had forever gotten under his skin. “Can we go to the car Fee?”

“We don’t have time for…”

“Not that…” Kili’s good mood was gone.

The blond nodded. “Bard? Do you wanna come with us?”

Without a word the dark haired teen stood up with the brothers and the three left together. Ori sat quiet. Like yesterday he wasn’t sure what they were up to this time, so he waited to see if the other brothers would just tell him.

Boromir knew the awkward teen was curious again. “They’re going out to smoke…you know…” 

No, Ori didn’t know. “Oh, smoking is so bad for you!” 

The older brother sighed at the naïve boy, “Weed, Ori. They’re smoking weed.”

“Oh Boromir! Drugs are bad are even worse for you, and...and…” Ori shook his head, and Faramir snickered. “That’s illegal! Someone should stop them! They could get in a lot of trouble if they get caught!” He looked at Boromir with concern in those soft brown eyes. 

“They’ve been smoking along time, Ori. They know what they’re doing, just don’t say anything to anyone about it. You’re cool, right?” He gave bowtie boy a gentle look of warning.

Ori nodded. _‘No one’s ever said I was cool before. I should go with this.’_ “Yeah…I’m cool, I won’t say anything.” 

  


Ori kept watching the classroom door for Kili to join their art class. Just as Frerin was about to close the door, Kili caught the door and walked in. From the breeze the teen made hurrying past him, Frerin could smell what caused his nephew’s tardiness.

“Kili? Can I have a word with you in the hall please?” The class sat quiet watching the teen turn around before he even made it to his seat.

Closing the door Frerin looked up and down the hallway to make sure no one was around to hear them. 

“What the hell’s wrong with you?”

“What? You do it, so don’t even lecture me about it!”

“You’re at school! Jesus Kee! You got in enough trouble last year, don’t do this to your mom again!”

Kili just rolled his eyes. “I don’t do it that much anymore. Someone pissed me off and I just needed to calm down is all.” He dropped his head to look at his uncle over his brow. “And right now, you’re killin’ my buzz…can we get back to class please?”

 

“Hey Thorin!” Fili greeted their creative writing class teacher, also known as Uncle Thorin to him.

“Fili, we’re at school. While you are in my class, I am Mr. Durin to you. Got it?” The blond laughed. 

“Yeah, whatever.” He took his seat sitting sideways again to stare at Ori. 

Ori kept writing something in his book feeling eyes upon him. Without looking over, he just asked “Fili…you’re doing it again. Why do you stare at me like that?”

Fili didn’t think Einstein would question his behavior. “Hmm. I don’t know. Maybe I think you’re cute…”

Ori’s throat went dry. He really liked Fili, but his flirting was making him uneasy to be around. “I think I’m going to try and talk to Arwen tonight.” He tried deflecting any more brazenly forward comments. “What should I say to her?”

“Tell her how amazing you are in bed.” The blond loved getting reactions out of the awkward boy.

“Fili! Why would I do that? That’s-that’s just….rude!” Fili laughed at how he could embarrass him so. “Chill! I’m just joking with you!” 

Thorin spoke loudly to gather attention. “Alright class, let’s start with…”

Fili quietly finished his thoughts on the matter. “Besides, I can tell you’re a virgin anyway. Just ask her about herself. Girls’ love talking about themselves more than anything. It’s their favorite subject…”

 

That evening Dori didn’t have any venues to work, so he was able to be home to make a nice dinner for himself and his brothers. As they started to dive into their food, Dori told them of how he met their new neighbors.

“Very nice people, they are. I’m so glad they don’t have a bunch of trouble making kids or teenagers.”

Ori asked shyly though he already knew the answer. “Do they have a daughter?”

Nori chuckled remembering this morning.

Dori rambled on. “Why yes! She’s a senior at your school! She’s their youngest. They also have twin sons.”

“Maybe I should go over and meet her.” Ori suggested.

The elder brother was shocked at Ori’s sudden lack of shyness. “You-you would actually go over by yourself to meet them?”

“Yes. I’d like to, if that’s alright with you?”

Nori looked at Dori and had to turn his eyes to his plate. “Let him go, Dori.”

“But, but, she’s a girl! He’s never been able to talk to girls! I don’t think he should, he might embarrass himself.” 

Nori to the lead. “Go on, Ori. If you want to go over there, I think it’s great you want to meet them on your own. You’ll be fine, won’t you?” 

Ori saw Nori’s knowing smile. “Yes, I’ll be fine…”

 

As Ori’s shaking hand reached out a finger to ring the doorbell of the house he had always been so afraid of, he could feel the sweat breaking out of every pore in his body. _‘Just do it, Ori!’_ The large beautifully carved front door began to open and Ori’s legs began to feel like jelly, but there she was. The girl with the long dark flowing hair and porcelain skin. 

She smiled and asked with the sweetest quiet voice, “Hi there! Would you like to come in?”

Ori couldn’t speak, he just nodded as he stepped inside the gothic style home.


	3. The Bully

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ori has an encounter with his first bully. His friends agree in the future they would stand by his side. Fili has words with his cousin, and Arwen visits Ori's home.

Ori sat down at the desk in his tidy bedroom and began to write in his journal.

 _Today was a much better day than yesterday. I wasn’t as afraid of everything and everybody today. Kili’s not as intimidating as I thought (but his moodiness still disturbs me a little), and I sort of feel bad for him. There’s this girl that lives next door to him that really has it in for him for some reason. Fili’s so nice to me, but he seems to be flirting with me and I’m afraid Kili’s going to get angry with me over it if he keeps it up! I met the captain of the archery team. His name is Bard, and he seems really nice too. I’d like to try something like that, but I don’t think I’d be very good at anything like that. The best part of my day was meeting my new neighbor, Arwen! She’s so pretty and nice. I was so afraid to talk to her, but I went to her house after dinner and she was so nice we talked for a couple hours! Me! I actually talked to a girl for two whole hours without stuttering! Well, maybe just a little…_

 

Ori took his seat behind Éowyn for his first class of the day and opened a book waiting for the teacher to begin class. Éowyn turned around in her seat to greet him, another pretty girl walking to her seat waved at him, then he looked over to the front row catching Arwen’s sweet smile as she said good morning to him.

The boy sitting behind Ori poked him in the back rather hard. “Hey geek, why is it all the hottest girls in school like you anyway?”

Ori almost took that as a compliment, but knew it wasn’t meant to be as such. He looked back only for a second not making eye contact. “I don’t know, Gimli. Maybe it’s because I’m nice to them. You should try being nice sometime.”

Gimli reacted by kicking Ori’s chair. It was only the second week of school and Ori had a new enemy. Every time Gimli did something to him and the teacher asked if there was a problem, Ori covered for the bully. That was, until today.

Their world history teacher called the class over to his desk on the far side of room by rows to pick up a packet for their upcoming project. As Ori walked across the front of the room studying the packet in hand, he was suddenly tripped. It all happened so fast, his hands flew out to stop his fall. Unfortunately, he had fallen into Arwen sitting in her chair. One of his hands accidentally grabbed her breast breaking his descent as they both fell to the floor knocking her out of her chair.

Arwen screamed and the entire class burst into hysterics laughing at the awkward teen turning a deep shade of red. Arwen knew it was an accident trying to help her friend up as he apologized over and over again. “I’m-I’m so sorry! I’m sorry! So sorry!”

Once Ori got himself to his feet, he ran out of the classroom and down the hall as fast as he could go. He didn’t know where he was going, he just needed to get away from the embarrassment.

The school janitor happened to be mopping a spot on the floor far down the hallway when he saw Ori running, then stop to sit on the floor hiding his face to sob. Ori felt the presence of someone standing over him. He looked up and saw the janitor looking at him with sympathy.

“Do you need to talk? I’m a good listener.” Ori had always been told their janitor was ‘special’ and that he didn’t talk.

“I-I thought you couldn’t t-talk?” Ori didn’t mean to sound rude, but he was confused.

“I like to let the kids think that.” The janitor with the longer salt and pepper hair smiled. “You’d be amazed the things I’ve learned being quiet and just listening over the years!” The older man held out a hand to help up the sad teen. “My name is Bifur. What’s your name son?” 

The teen removed his glasses and wiped his eyes. “Ori. Nice to meet you, Bifur.”

“So what has you so upset, hmm?” 

Ori proceeded to tell the caring man about the incident and how much he liked his friend Arwen. Bifur nodded hanging onto every word.

“Well, Ori, I’m sure your friend knows it was an accident. If she’s a true friend, this will all blow over in no time. We all have embarrassing moments in life, but it’s not the end of the world even if it seems like it at the moment.” Bifur talked as they walked back to his classroom.

“As for the bully that tripped you, never let on that they are getting to you. Their sole purpose for doing something to you is to get the reaction they’re looking for out of you. Don’t give them that satisfaction and eventually they’ll tire of trying and move on to someone else.” Bifur knocked on the classroom door.

“Thanks Bifur” Ori smiled feeling much better and ready to face the class.

Their white haired teacher, Mr. Balin aka another Mr. Durin, answered the door. He thanked Bifur for taking care of Ori, and told the boy Gimli had been sent to the principal and would no longer be sitting behind him in this class much to the teen's relief. 

  


Walking through the cafeteria, Ori felt a certain unease as some people quieted when he walked by and a few pointed him out to their friends. He wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with the incident that happened in his morning class. Hurrying to meet his friends at their usual table, he quickly sat between Boromir and Faramir looking up to notice all five guys staring at him. 

“Is something wrong?” Ori asked timidly.

Bard sat on the right side of Kili and Fili was snuggled under his brother’s left arm as usual. As he sat up, Kili released him and the blond leaned forward over the table. “Don’t _ever_ let that douchebag or anyone else _ever_ bully you like that again!” 

Ori looked at Boromir and Faramir. He knew they told the others about what happened this morning. “What was I supposed to do, Fili? Everyone was laughing at me and poor Arwen…I didn’t mean to…”

Faramir snickered but sobered. “It wasn’t your fault! After you left, everyone except Azog of course, told Balin what happened and he took care of Gimli.”

Boromir added, “Arwen wanted to look for you, but Balin told her to stay there.”

Ori’s mood shifted knowing Arwen wasn’t upset with him. “She did? Really?”

Kili saw the dark haired girl sitting with the other girls at a table across the cafeteria from them. “Why would she be angry with you anyway? It was an accident and look at her now. She’s fine. Want me to talk to her for you?” 

Fili shook his head. “Don’t go there, Kee.”

Kili brought his eyes back to Ori’s. “If Gimli ever does anything to you again, tell us. We’ll take care of him.”

The blond flashed his cocky grin. “He’s our cousin. He doesn't like us as much as we don't like him, and I’m sure he doesn’t know you are our friend…yet.”

Boromir laughed. “He also lives on our street. Between these two, me and Faramir, we can make his life miserable.”

Ori felt a little better, but began to worry again. “Isn’t his dad a policeman?”

Fili chuckled, “Yeah, Gloin’s a cop. You’d only be in trouble if you were a donut…”

Kili laughed at their in the inside joke. “He spends more time in the donut shop than busting criminals!”

Bard felt this was a good time to bring up some news he heard earlier that morning. “Ori, you said you wouldn’t want to do archery, but I heard our gym teacher is starting a new class for sword fighting. You should look into it! Be good for you to build up some muscle, get some confidence and have some fun all at the time!”

Faramir and Fili jumped at the idea too. “We’ve been wanting them to start that class forever! Do it with us Ori!” 

Ori shrank in his seat a little taking a sip from his water bottle. “I don’t think I’d be very good at it, and I don’t think Dori would let me. I could get hurt.”

Boromir rolled his eyes and put an arm around the shrinking teen, literally pulling him upright. “I’m surprised your brother hasn’t wrapped you in bubble wrap yet!”

Fili smiled trying to coax the skinny ginger. “Come on! Do it with us, we’ll have a great time! Boromir’s in too, right?” The older brother nodded.

Ori looked around, knowing he had the support of all the boys at the table he answered, “Alright. I’m in…” 

 

Dori stomped his foot at Nori. “I will not sign that paper! Ori is not sword fighting! What on Earth! This isn’t the fourteenth century!”

Nori grabbed the paper from his brother’s hand. “Then I’ll sign it!”

Dori reached to take the paper back. “I said no!” 

Nori held it high above his elder brother’s head. “I say yes! Dori, the kid needs some confidence! Let him try it at least!”

With a lot of convincing, Dori signed the release forms to allow his little brother to join the sword fighting class at school. They would meet three days a week after school.

 

Fili stood on the doorstep of his cousin’s home at the end of their cul-de-sac street ringing the doorbell. The stocky gruff teen whipped open the door. Seeing his golden blond cousin standing there, he started to slam the door, but Fili caught it and pushed his way inside.

“Your little pranks and bullying of Ori is going to stop, right?” 

Gimli got in Fili’s face. “What’s it to you?”

“He’s my friend. If you mess with him again, you’ll have to deal with me and Kili.” 

Gimli looked around outside for his other cousin because they were rarely apart from one another. Knowing the younger one wasn’t there, he laughed at his cousin’s threat. 

“Well, _Fili_ …I wouldn’t think of messing with your little friend after _you_ threatened me in my own home like that.” He flashed an evil grin. 

Fili didn’t like the tone and wasn’t sure he liked his cousin’s choice of words. “You need new friends, Gimli. You were never like this when we were kids.”

“You were always the favored in the family, Fili. The golden boy that did no wrong…Are you done with me?” Gimli seemed even darker now.

“Yeah. We’re done here.” Fili turned shutting the door behind him as he left for home. Walking down the street to his house, he kept thinking about what Gimli said feeling a little threatened himself now.

 

“Hi Ori!” Ori couldn’t believe his eyes. Arwen was standing at his front door. “Can I come in?” She asked shyly.

Ori fixed his glasses and opened the door a bit wider inviting his neighbor in. “Of course! Come in, have a seat!” He looked around hoping Dori wasn’t nearby to ruin things for him.

“Would you like some tea? I just made some.” He offered, and Arwen accepted with a smile.

When he returned, they sat on the sofa drinking their tea and chatting for a short while. She told Ori everything Faramir and Boromir had already told him, but it was nice to hear it from her. It put his mind at ease knowing she wasn’t angry or upset about the incident. 

To most people what happened wouldn’t have been a big deal at all and forgotten by the end of the day, but for Ori it was a big deal. Being so shy, all he ever wanted to do was blend in, to not draw attention to himself. On top of it all, he felt like touching a girl, the girl he really liked in such a manner though it was an accident, was disrespectful to her and it made him feel bad. 

After their chat, Arwen had explained to him how shy she was as it had been quite an adjustment for her moving to this new school as well. She had left behind all the friends she knew growing up too, and was afraid she wouldn’t make new friends here at Erebor High. 

“I like you Ori.” The pretty brunette said softly putting a hand on his knee.

Ori froze holding his tea cup. _‘What should I do?’_ He thought as he noticed she was leaning toward him a little, his tea cup began to quiver in his hand. _‘What would Fili or Kili do?’_


	4. Extracurricular Activities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ori’s first day of sword fighting with Fili, and Kili has another altercation with Tauriel at archery practice.

_I had quite the day. That bully, Gimli embarrassed me in front of the whole class this morning. Embarrassed me mostly with Arwen! I made friends with the janitor though. His name's Bifur and he super nice. Nobody knows he can talk, but he said he'd be my friend and I could talk to him anytime I needed to as long as I didn't tell anyone his secret. All the guys said they would take of Gimli if he bothered me anymore. I found out he's Fili and Kili's cousin, and apparently they don't get along. I'm going to start a sword fighting class! I can't believe Dori actually agreed to let me do it, though I know Nori had a lot to do with him allowing it. To end my day, Arwen came over to talk about what happened in class this morning. She made me feel better about it because she knew it was an accident and she knows what a jerk Gimli is. Anyhow, she told me she liked me and I think she was going to kiss me, but I freaked out and left the room! I'm such a loser! I can't believe the prettiest girl in school wanted to kiss me and I ran away from her :(_

 

One week later…

Arrows soared through the air hitting their targets. Kili was happy to have his bow in his hands again. He hadn’t practiced like he should have over the summer, so he was a bit rusty. 

Bard walked around checking on everyone. He wrapped his arms around Tauriel to help her stance, but she didn’t like anyone helping her. 

“I don’t need your help, Bard!” She snapped. “Go help that little twit over there!” She motioned toward Kili. “He needs all the help he can get.” Making sure he could hear her, she continued. “He couldn’t hit the side of a barn!”

Kili glared her. “Maybe I could hit the target if there was a picture of your face on it!”

She just raised an eyebrow. “Really? Very mature, Durin.”

The frustrated archer took a deep breath and continued with his practice.

Another teammate walked up to Tauriel staring at Kili with his piercing blue eyes. “Is he bothering you, Sweetie?”

“He always bothers me.” She hissed as she nocked another arrow. 

 

“Okay guys, I think most of you already know me from phys ed, but for those who don’t, my name’s Dwalin. This is the first time we’ve ever had a sword fighting class, so we’re all going to be learning together. As I go through instructing, you need to give me feedback. If I’m taking it too fast, too slow, if you don’t understand something, you have to let me know, okay?”

Dwalin began reading off the ten names for attendance. He had already read the first five names as he continued, “…Boromir, Faramir, Fili…Ori?” He looked up because he had never met Ori. When Dwalin saw the scrawny teen, he had to make sure he was in the right place. “You’re Ori?” 

The skinny ginger pushed up his glasses and adjusted his baggy shorts. “Yes, Sir.”

Dwalin walked to stand in front of the teen looking him over. “Are you sure you’re supposed to be here? This class is for sword fighting…”

Ori looked down toeing the blue floor mat. “Yes, Sir.” 

Dwalin looked over at Fili standing next to him. The blond nodded.

Then Dwalin stepped up to the next student joining his class with a similar concern. “And last but not least, Éowyn Rohan…”

Faramir startled at the name. He immediately stepped out of line seeing his girlfriend standing at the end of the line. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m going to learn how to sword fight, duh! Isn’t that why we’re here?” Éowyn wasn’t going to let anyone deter her from doing what she wanted to do just because she was female. 

Ori smiled at the girl with the long curls as she winked at him. “We can do this, can’t we Ori?”

 

When the hour long session was over, Ori could barely walk much less stand his legs ached so badly. “Fili?” The blond stopped walking to see what Ori wanted. “I hate to ask, but…can you help me?”

“What wrong, Ori?” Fili went back to see what his friend needed.

He whispered, “I can’t walk! Can you help me to your car?” 

Fili laughed and put an arm around the skinny teen helping him to the car. “A little too much exercise for one day, eh?”

“I think I exercised more this past hour than I have in a lifetime!” Ori fell into the passenger seat of Fili’s car. “Everything hurts!”

Fili snorted. “If you think you’re sore now, just wait until you get up in the morning!” 

With the passenger door still open and Ori’s legs hanging out, Fili knelt down and began massaging the muscles in his friend’s calf. Ori jumped at the touch. “What are you doing?”

“Your muscles need to relax…and so do you…” Fili continued to work the muscles in one leg, then started on the other. Little by little he started to work his hands up to Ori’s thighs.

Boromir walked by doing a double-take. “You better not let Kili see this.”

“I’m not doing anything! He couldn’t hardly walk, so I’m just…” Fili got defensive real quick.

“Relax, Bro! I was just joking…jeez…” Boromir shook his head and kept going.

Ori sat up. “I’m good, Fee. Thanks. Isn’t it time for Kili’s practice to be over yet?”

Fili stood up closing Ori’s door, he went around the car to the driver’s seat. “Yeah, he should be here any minute now.” Leaning against the car door, he pulled out his phone and texted Kili.

 

“You need to put a leash on your bitch, Legolas!” Kili yelled at his teammate with the long white hair. 

Tauriel’s boyfriend, Legolas grabbed the brunette by the shirt and pulled him to his face. “What’s your problem?”

“Your effing girlfriend’s my problem! I don’t know why she can’t leave me alone!” Kili turned his dark eyes on the redhead.

Bard darted right for the threesome to break up whatever was going on this time. 

“Come on you guys! We’re supposed to be a team! You have to stop fighting like this all the time!” Bard calmly pushed Legolas and Kili away from one another. 

“Sorry.” Legolas said to Kili, and actually meant it. The brunette just gave him a nod looking away.

Tauriel was already walking toward her car. “Legolas! Are you coming with me?” The blond ran after her catching up. 

Bard put an arm around Kili’s shoulder as they walked in the other direction toward the parking lot where Fili would be waiting. “Next time I catch you two fighting, I’m putting you in timeout…together…”

 

“Fili…can I tell you something?” Ori asked shyly while absently running his fingers across the hem of his t-shirt.

“Sure. What’s up?” Fili kept working his phone.

“I never said anything about this to anyone, but for my brother, Nori, but…one day last week, Arwen almost…k-kissed me.”

Fili’s eyebrow flew up as fast as his eyes left his phone to look at Ori. “Are you serious?”

Ori nodded. “She put her hand on my leg and told me she liked me, and then…she leaned over like-like she was going to kiss me, and I got nervous. So I stood up before she could…”

Fili smirked and said sarcastically, “Good job, Einstein…I thought you liked her! Why wouldn’t you kiss her?”

Hesitantly, the awkward teen looked down at his hands. “I-I’ve never…I’ve never kissed a girl before…”

Fili leaned over the console toward him. “Have you ever kissed a guy?” 

Ori thought he was joking, but then he saw the look in the blond’s blue eyes. He wasn’t joking. “No…”

Fili stuck his tongue ring out to play with it against his teeth. “There a first time for everything…”

Ori almost jumped out of his skin when Kili opened the passenger side car door. “Get out...” Kili said bluntly. Ori almost fell out of the car, his heart racing as he tried to get out as fast as he could before scrambling into the back seat. 

Fili could sense Kili’s bad mood as he got in and slammed the car door. His pouty look told all. 

“Let me guess…you got into it with Tauriel again?”

Kili reached under his car seat and pulled out a bag a weed. “I not only have to put up with her, I have to listen to her pet now too!”

“Legolas? I thought she hated him?”

“She did, but something must have changed her mind.” 

Fili reached over and took the bag from his brother shoving it back under the seat. “You don’t need that, Kee.”

“Fee…” Kili started to whine until Fili put a hand behind his brother’s head pulling him into a kiss which got a little heated as Kili tangled his fingers into the blond’s curls leaning into their kiss to deepen it.

Ori sat in the backseat watching them feeling very awkward at the moment. As the two parted, Fili shifted his eyes to Ori. “Just like that…”


	5. The Sleepover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ori spends the night with Fili and Kili while the girls have a sleepover with Tauriel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not condone underage drinking, sex or drug use.

October

School had been in session for at least a couple months now, and each day Ori felt more and more comfortable there. Although he still didn’t feel like he fit in, he was happy he had made friends. For the first time in his life he was friends with guys that weren’t geeks like himself, and even pretty girls liked him. 

Ori slammed his locker closed. “Hi Fili.” He didn’t jump for he had gotten used to the blond standing next to him every morning.

“Would you like to spend the night with me and Kee tonight?”

“Really? I-I’ve never spent the night with anyone before! I’d have to ask Dori.” Ori was excited about the possibility, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up because Dori would probably say no.

Fili couldn't believe it. “Are you for real? You’ve never spent the night with anyone? Ever?”

Ori explained. “Dori’s afraid I’d get scared being away from home and he’s never liked any of my friends. He thinks all teens are trouble-makers.” Considering most of the kids Ori went to school with at the private school were all good kids, Ori was really afraid he would never approve of Fili and Kili.

 

With a lot of begging and pleading from Ori, and some prodding from Nori to let the boy go, Dori gave in reluctantly. Ori asked Nori to take him to their house because he was afraid if Dori met them, he would take him right back home and never let him see them again. Nori was a bit like those two when he was their age, so he was much more open-minded than overprotective Dori.

Turning onto the street Fili and Kili lived on, Ori commented. “I like these houses! They aren’t as creepy as the ones on our street.” 

The Durin’s lived on a cul-de-sac with ten homes where pretty much everyone that lived there had always lived there, while the Ri brothers lived in a quiet decent older neighborhood with large historical homes.

The brothers were already outside waiting for him when the beat up red pickup truck rumbled into their driveway. When Nori saw the brothers walking toward the truck, he did a double-take. “Ori? Are we at the right house?”

Ori smiled and jumped out of the truck going to his friends. “Hey guys!”

“Ori!” They both greeted him, each slapping a hand on his shoulder affectionately.

Nori rolled down the truck window. “Hey there, I’m Ori’s brother, Nori” The brothers introduced themselves as well.

“So you’re the two Ori’s been friends with since the first day of school?” Nori was still baffled because these two weren’t the usual bookworms Ori tended to be friends with.

Fili nodded and threw an arm around Ori’s shoulder. “Yep! We really like Ori, he’s a great guy!”

Nori looked at Ori making sure he was alright, and when the teen nodded he got back into his truck. “Call me tomorrow when you’re ready to come home. You kids have fun, but be good!”

Kili smirked. “Don’t worry, we’ll have fun…”

 

Fili made the introductions once they were inside their house. “Mom, this is Ori from school. Ori, this is our mom.”

Ori’s shyness came back, but he smiled. “Hello, nice to meet you.”

Their mother was dressed in scrubs, pulling up her long dark hair as the boys entered the kitchen. She was very nice and she immediately picked up on the boy’s shyness. “Nice to meet you, Ori! You can call me Dis. Make yourself at home, okay?” Ori just nodded.

“Boys, I have to work tonight, so I’ll order you a pizza before I leave.” As she started to walk past Fili, she pulled his bearded chin up to look her in the eye. “I expect you’ll all be on your best behavior tonight, right?”

“Yes Mom…” Her boys said in unison. 

 

As soon as their mother was gone and the pizza had arrived, Fili ran to the garage and came back with a case of beer which he proceeded to stock the kitchen refrigerator with. Joining his friend and brother in their family room, he tossed them each a can popping open his own. 

Ori had fumbled to catch the can, then he just stared at it. Nori drank beer but had to put up with Dori’s constant complaining that he drank too much. Even though Dori drank wine, Ori knew this was something Dori would really disapprove of because of his age.

“What’s the matter Ori?” Kili asked taking a big drink from his can.

The skinny ginger teen rubbed his fingers on the cold can still not opening it. “I-I’ve never drank beer before. I’m not old enough yet, I’m only seventeen, and I know Dori wouldn’t like it if I did.”

Fili sat next to him on the floor leaning against the couch. He took the can from Ori to open it and handed it back to him. “I'm seventeen, Kili's sixteen. You’re brother’s not here, and there’s a first time for everything...” 

Ori heard that line from Fili before. He stared at the open can he held in his hand. He glanced over at Kili watching him closely as if he was about to laugh at the backward teen. _‘Peer pressure’_ he thought. He’d heard about it, but was never a victim until now. He really liked these guys. They were cool, and their friends were cool. For once in his life, he really wanted to fit in and be like the majority of ‘normal’ teens.

 _‘Just one or two sips.’_ He told himself it would be okay. Ori put the can to his lips and took a small sip tasting the beverage. It was quite different from any drink he’s ever had in his life, and he wasn’t sure if he really liked it or not. Then he took another bigger drink, then another and another.

“Well? Do you like it?” Fili asked.

“I think I do!” Ori finished the beer almost as fast as his friends finished theirs. He reached for more pizza feeling pretty good about drinking his first alcoholic beverage.

Fili made another run to the kitchen bringing back more cans for them. Ori was a little more hesitant to drink a second one, but he did. Feeling a little tipsy he really didn’t think he could drink a third one when Fili delivered the third round. 

Half way through his third beer, Ori was loosening up. He began running a finger over the tattoo on Kili's forearm without realizing what he was doing. The brunette didn't like anyone except for Fili to touch him, but he just stared at the tipsy teen. "What are you doing?"

Ori suddenly realized he was touching Kili, and pulled his hand back. "Sorry." Then he looked at the tattoos on Fili's arms and asked, "Do tattoos hurt? I would think that would hurt."

"Not that much." Fili took a drink finishing the can. "I'm going to get another one for my eighteenth birthday soon. When's your birthday? You should go with me!" 

Ori shook his head and laughed at the thought. "I know Dori would _never_ let me do that!"

"You don't need his permission when you're eighteen." Fili elbowed him. "You're going with me." 

Kili finished off his beer throwing the crushed can on the coffee table. “You guys want to go somewhere?”

“Let’s go outside.” Fili pulled Ori up off the floor. “Maybe we can walk to the quik-stop.”

As Fili and Kili walked out the front door, Ori kind of stumbled. He was a bit loopy being a light-weight and first time ever drinking alcohol. Ori saw a familiar SUV pulling into the driveway next door. “Is that where Tauriel lives?” He pointed to the house to their right barely able to lift an arm.

Kili mumbled his answer, “Yes…” Then he noticed the brunette getting out of the black SUV. “Is that Arwen?”

Ori got a giddy smile. “Yeeesss. I thought that was her dad’s car!” 

Tauriel and Éowyn ran out to meet their girlfriend. Apparently the giggly girls were having a sleepover as well. Tauriel saw the three boys watching them, and flipped them off as the three female headed toward her house.

Ori reciprocated the gesture much to Tauriel's surprise as she just gasped. “Well!” Ori said. “I guess I told her, huh!” The brothers were very shocked Ori did that, but got a good laugh out of it.

Kili put an arm around Fili pulling him along. “Let’s go see Bofur!”

Bofur was their hippie neighbor that lived across the street from them. When they knocked on the hippie’s front door, someone Ori didn’t expect to see answered. 

“Bifur?” The surprised teen said the janitor’s name. 

Bifur shook his head once to remind the teen of their secret. Fili and Kili looked at Ori.

“I-I was just shocked to see our janitor lives here.” He smiled and nodded at the older man who returned the smile. 

Bifur gestured for the boys to come on in. He went upstairs leaving the teens to find who they came there for.

Walking from the kitchen into the family room, Ori was shocked again to see another body he knew. “Mr. Durin?” 

“Frerin, Ori. My name’s Frerin, here and at school, remember? Good to see you…I think…” He looked at his nephews.

Kili laughed as he sort of jumped on his uncle sprawled on the couch. “Missed you at Mom’s birthday party last week!” The teen reached for the pipe his uncle was holding to take a hit.

“Missed being there, kid. Thorin told me I missed out on a good time.” Frerin pressed a kiss into Kili’s hair as the brunette snuggled in next to him on the couch. 

“Hey Bofur!” Fili patted his tall dark haired neighbor on the back as he shuffled in hearing he had company. 

The older hippie laughed and scratched his beard. “Good to see your boys! Who’s this you have with ya now?” 

“This is our friend, Ori! Ori, this of Bofur. He’s Bifur’s cousin.”

Ori stuck out a hand to greet the man. “Hi Bofur! Nice to meet you. Are you related to Fili and Kili too?”

Fili laughed, “No, Ori. He’s just our neighbor.” The blond took Ori by the arm and the two took a seat on another couch with Bofur. 

“Tell me, Ori…you look rather intelligent with those glasses ‘n all, do you think the universe is infinite?” Bofur asked the teen being dead serious.

Ori’s face went blank. He looked at Fili who shrugged. “He’s been trying to get an answer to that question for years.”

“Uh…well, umm…some believe the universe is ever expanding, so…” Ori tried to answer the hippie’s question with a respect and a fair amount of intelligence from he did know on the subject.

The Durin’s all laughed as Bofur continued asking the studious teen more intellectual questions trying to figure out the meaning of life, and the tipsy teen continued to try and answer him. 

Fili crawled over to the other couch and knelt on the floor next to his uncle. Frerin petted his nephew's long golden hair. “Missed seeing you too. I hardly ever get to see you since you didn’t take my class this year.”

“I had other classes I needed to take for credits to graduate. I hate fuckin' math.” After he took a hit from the pipe, he looked over to Ori.

“Hey Ori…I’m pretty sure you’ve never smoked weed before, do you want to try it?” Fili raised the pipe to show him.

Ori felt good about himself taking that step to drink his first beer, but he wasn’t so sure smoking weed. “No, Fili, I don’t think I want to try that.”

The blond nodded with acceptance. “Good for you, Ori! Don’t ever do anything you don’t want to do!”

 

The girl’s sleepover was under way as well. With music playing, the girls ate pizza while watching YouTube videos, then spent some time laughing at Vines. Occasionally texting Legolas and Faramir as well as sending silly Instagram pictures.

“Arwen, let me braid your hair, it’s so pretty!” Tauriel sat on her bed behind the brunette and began brushing her hair. 

Éowyn was sitting at Tauriel’s desk looking at all the photos and other cut out magazine pictures the teen had decorating her wall and pin board. Then she looked down at her neglected fingernails. 

“Hey T, do you mind if I use some of your fingernail polish?”

“Sure, go ahead. There’s some in that basket on the floor over there where you are.” The redhead waved a hand toward the floor next to the desk.

Éowyn rummaged through magazines, papers, hair ties, clips and old brushes finally finding a bottle of polish. She didn’t like the color, so she looked again. A very colorful book that looked like a journal caught her eye, so she quietly pulled it out to sneak a peek. 

The journal was obviously old as it appeared a preteen had made it with all the bright colors, sparkles and stickers on the cover. As the little blond began turning pages, her eyes widen and she couldn’t hold back the laugh that escaped her.

Tauriel and Arwen turned to see what their friend laughed at. Tauriel dove off the bed snatching the old journal away from her. 

“That’s private! Give it to me!”

“Obviously!” Éowyn snickered.

“I was like thirteen!” Tauriel defended. 

“I figured as much! But T! Omg!”

 

The three boys finally left Bofur and Frerin to wander the neighborhood. Fili and Kili showed Ori where everyone lived on their street. 

“You know Tauriel lives next to us, then in the circle next to her is Éowyn and her older brother, Éomer. He’s rather protective of his sister. Then Gloin and Gimli…” Ori shrank at the name. 

“Gloin’s brother, Óin lives next to them. He’s a doctor, but I think he’s retired now. He’s pretty old.” The boys kept walking. “Legolas there, Boromir and Faramir live there, and Bofur and Bifur there, and our uncles Frerin and Thorin live together next to them.”

Ori turned to look at the tiny house with the manicured lawn next to his friend’s house. “And who lives there?”

Kili laughed. “That’s Mr. Boggins.”

Fili corrected his brother. “Baggins, Kee. He’s lived there since before we were born and Kili still can’t get his name right.” 

“I know what his name is! I like to call him Mr. Boggins to irritate him!” 

“We like to play pranks on him. It’s fun to see him get upset.” Fili sighed. “Good times. Hey! We should do something to him tonight!”

“Nah, Thorin might not be in the mood to bail us out. Let’s go to the store and get something to eat. I got the munchies really bad now!” Kili put an arm around Fili pulling him away from Ori as he felt they were walking too close to one another. 

Fili grinned as he felt the tighter grip his brother put on him. The blond slipped his hand into the back pocket of Kili’s tight skinny jeans leaning into him.

 

“Éowyn, I swear I’ll make your life a living nightmare if you tell anyone about this! Especially your boyfriend!” Tauriel was really angry and being overdramatic.

“I promise I won’t say anything to anyone!” The blond knew she better keep this secret quiet.

Arwen was lost in this conversation for she hadn’t seen the journal and didn’t know what the big deal was. Apparently no one was going to let her in on the secret either.

"Come one, Tauriel. It was a long time ago, no biggy." Éowyn wanted to change the subject, so she made a suggestion. "Hey! Can we go out back?"

 

Fili grabbed more cans of beer from the kitchen and sat on the family room floor with Ori and Kili. Kili dumped the grocery bag of junk food in a pile in front of them grabbing a big candy bar. 

“I know chocolate’s gross with beer, but I’m craving it! Take something Ori…”

Ori looked at all the candy and bags of salty snack foods. “Dori doesn’t like me to have junk food.”

Kili rolled his eyes taking a bite of his candy. Fili grabbed a bag of pretzels shoving it into Ori’s hands. “Dori’s not here! Eat these! Really, you’re drinking beer! How bad can a bag of pretzels be at this point? Live a little!”

“I’m going upstairs for a few minutes. I’ll be back.” Kili pushed himself off the floor and headed upstairs.

Fili watched Ori finish off the bag of pretzels. “Well. Look at that. You ate junk food and didn’t get sick or die.”

Ori laughed at himself. “I know…you know Bofur said something that actually made a lot of sense. He said when you step outside your comfort zone, the universe will support you. I think I believe that's true!”

Fili laughed knowing that crazy hippie was always spewing what he considered words of wisdom. “He said that? You know…that actually does make sense…sometime you have to step out of your comfort zone to live a little...” He placed a hand on Ori’s thigh.

Feeling the warmth of Fili’s hand on his leg made him feel a stirring inside he rarely felt, making him a little uncomfortable. They sat like that for a few minutes until Fili began kneading his fingers into Ori’s jeans. The nervous teen stood up and stretched. 

“I think I’m going to go upstairs and change my clothes. I’ll be right back.” Ori ran up the stairs in the dark. All the doors were closed. He figured Kili might be in the bathroom, so remembering which door belonged to his friend’s bedroom, he walked in flipping on the lights. 

“Oh my g…” Ori immediately turned the light back off putting his hands over his eyes. “I’m so sorry Kili!” Ori was more embarrassed for Kili than himself this time. 

Kili ran from the window pulling up his jeans, he ran out of the room going straight into the bathroom slamming the door.

After hearing the door slam, Ori hurried up and changed his clothes. Before he left the room, he went to the window where he saw Kili standing to look out. “Oh dear…” 

From the darken room looking out the window, he had a perfect view into the neighbor’s fenced backyard swimming pool and hot tub. Ori shook his head as a certain tall redhead emerged from the hot tub completely nude before wrapping herself in a towel to go inside following the other two girls wrapped in towels.

Kili had just opened the bathroom door and caught Ori before he could run down the stairs giving him a warning. “Don’t you dare say anything to Fili or anybody about this! I swear I’ll kick your fucking ass in a heartbeat if you do, got it?” 

Ori nodded and went back to the family room where Fili was cleaning up some of their mess to hide cans from their mother who should be getting home from the hospital in a couple hours.

The blond smiled when Ori reached down to help pick up a few things following him into the kitchen. After putting the almost empty pizza box in the fridge, Fili turned to Ori and ran his hand through Ori’s short ginger hair. 

“You need to grow your hair out.” The blond could tell Ori had something on his mind. Something happened to change the ginger’s mood. “What’s wrong? You’re quiet all of a sudden and you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Fili’s blue eyes caught his.

“It-it’s nothing…” He turned to see brooding Kili standing in the doorway looking really concerned about what was going on in their kitchen.

“Are you ready for bed yet, Kee?” Fili picked up a bottle of water from the table right before Kili threw his arms around his brother pulling him close.

“Kiss me, Fee” The brothers shared a quick, but heated kiss before the older parted first.

“What was that for?” Not that he minded of course. 

“I love you, Fee.” Kili’s dark eyes looked rather guilty of something.

Fili just gave him a quick hug. “I love you too, Kee.”

Ori and Kili just stared at each other for a moment after Fili went upstairs.

“I swear I won’t say anything to Fili. I like you Kili. I wouldn’t do that you.” He watched the moody teen turn away to follow his brother without a word. 

 

The three entered the brother’s bedroom, Ori looked around. “Where should I sleep?”

Kili whipped off all his clothes except for his underwear, and threw himself onto his bed watching Fili pull off his clothes too. 

The blond pointed at the bed across their room. “You can sleep in my bed. I don’t sleep their very often anyway.” Fili slid into Kili’s bed pressing his body against his brother rolling him over kissing him with a lot of pent-up desire with no regard for Ori’s presence. 

Ori quickly turned off the light and hurried into the bed pulling the blankets over his head hoping sleep would take him quickly.

“Fili…” Kili breathed in his brother’s ear. “We should wait until Ori’s asleep.” 

The sexually frustrated brother sighed knowing Kili was right. “He better fall asleep fast cause I’m ready to take you right now...” Fili reluctantly turned over to face Ori’s bed while Kili wrapped around him from behind pulling him against his chest nuzzling his neck. 

They all fell asleep for about an hour until Ori heard quiet voices. Peering across the room his blurry eyes adjusted the best they could considering he couldn’t see much at all without his glasses. Even though it was dark, the moonlight still cast enough light for him to see the vague shadows of what he heard. 

As much as he knew he shouldn’t watch, he was very curious. He had never even seen a picture of people having sex, much less having watched the acts that were being performed before his virgin eyes. Ori watched Fili giving Kili a very sensual blowjob no doubt working his brother's length with that tongue ring by the sinful moans coming from the younger. The blond continued sucking his brother into completion licking him clean before lying him back to make love to him finding his own release. 

Ori felt so _dirty_ watching them, but his curiosity about male on male sex was finally sated, but now wondered how different it would be with a female. Closing his eyes, he forced himself not to think about it so he could just go to sleep.

 

When Ori woke up, he saw Kili still sleeping soundly, but Fili was gone so he went to the kitchen. The blond was standing there in his tight black underwear pouring his coffee. He looked back seeing Ori watching him. 

“Want some?”

Ori shook his head. “No, I don’t drink coffee. Dori said it’s bad for you. I only drink tea.”

Fili turned around and leaned against the sink. “I didn’t mean coffee…” 

“I, uh…you…” Ori could feel the heat in his cheeks as Fili walked toward him.

“You were watching us last night, weren’t you?” 

In a matter of seconds, Ori had backed himself against the wall with Fili standing very close to him now.

“You want to know what it feels like, don’t you?” Ori tried to press himself even closer against the wall. “You want to know how Kili felt when I took his big cock deep into my mouth, huh? You want to know how amazing my cock felt when I slid it into his hot…”

Ori tried to push the blond away from him when he heard Kili coming down the stairs. The brunette stopped when he rounded the corner seeing Fili standing so close to Ori. He turned to run back upstairs. 

Fili immediately ran after his brother catching him in the hallway before he could get to the stairs. He grabbed his arm and pulled him against himself. “Kili!”

“Let go, Fee!” He tried desperately to pry his brother’s hands off of him.

“I’m sorry!” Fili’s blue eyes pleaded for forgiveness.

Kili calmed for a second just before he slammed Fili against the wall. “I can’t stand the way you flirt with people! With Ori! Or were you even flirting? What were you going to do to him if I hadn’t come downstairs?! What's going on with you?!”

“I don't know! I love you Kili! I don’t want anyone but you!” Fili was breathing heavily and shaking, tears stinging his eyes as his brother raked his long fingers into his long thick hair before he kissed the blond very hard. Fili didn't know what he was doing with Ori. He didn't know why he couldn't stop flirting with him. His hands held Kili’s hips tight as their kiss turned very needy while the brunette rocked his clothed erection against his brothers. 

“Prove it then, Fili! Take me right now! Take me to bed and fuck me into the mattress like you want me! Like you _need_ me!” 

"And what's been going on with you? You've been so angry about everything lately!" Fili was just as concerned about Kili's moods as of late. 

The brunette slammed his fist against the wall in frustration next to Fili's head. "Nothing! Are you going to fuck me or not?!"

Ori put his hands over his face hearing his friends arguing in the next room until they were both in tears before they ran upstairs together. _‘What's going on with those two?’_


	6. Tell Me How You Feel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kili, Fili and Ori are trying to come to terms with their personal feelings.

Monday after the sleepover…

Ori slammed his locker door. “Hey Fi…Kili?” Seeing the brunette standing there he pulled his books closer to his chest looking around for the blond. “Where’s Fili?”

Kili spoke in an even tone. “Fili’s not here. I don’t know where he is. He dropped me off and left.”

“He skipped school?” Ori blurted out a little too loud, and the brunette made a gesture to hush him. “I’m really sorry about the other night Kee.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about, Ori...you’re not the problem. My brother’s the problem.” Ori was feeling a bit uncomfortable as he usually did being alone with the younger brother.

“Fili’s done nothing but piss me off flirting with you, and he doesn’t seem to know why he can’t stop doing it, but it’s not your fault.” Kili walked alongside the nervous teen down the hall until they got to a hallway that was less traveled and pulled him aside. 

“I wanted to talk to you about the other night. You know, about when you caught me jackin’ off watching the girls?” Ori was actually trying to forget that moment, but his friend seemed to need to get something off his chest so he nodded in acknowledgement without making any eye contact.

“I love Fili. He’s the only one I’ve ever had sex with or ever wanted, but lately…I don’t know. Since he’s been flirting with you, I’ve found myself looking around, wondering what it would be like with someone else, and I've found myself beginning to feel attracted to girls.” Kili shifted his books looking down he nervously fiddled with a pen in his other hand. 

“Fili’s all I’ve ever known. We’ve slept together for as long as I can remember. Mom used to try to separate us, but we’d always end up back together in one of our beds. When we were old enough to start having sexually feelings, we just went with it and never told anybody until Fili turned fifteen. He told Frerin and he shocked us telling us that he and Thorin had the same relationship. Not anymore, but they did.” 

Ori’s eyes grew huge at the thought of those teachers being together. Maybe this was more information than he needed to know. “Kili, I don’t think I should know any of this…”

Ori knew Kili obviously was reaching out to him, but he was so socially awkward in general that relationship situations where very foreign to him and he had no business giving advice on the subject. He wanted to say something to make his friend feel better, though he was afraid he might say the wrong thing.

“I really don’t know what to say. I’ve never been in a relationship with anyone, and to be honest I don’t know if I like girls or guys either. Dori always told me to stay focused on my studies and relationships would be something I could deal with when I was old enough.”

Kili shook his head and snorted. Ori’s comment made him smile for the first time in days. “I should have figured as much, Bowtie! You’re almost eighteen, I think you’re ready to experiment a little, don’t you? What about Arwen?”

Ori blushed at the thought of his lovely next door neighbor. “I don’t know…”

“Anway, what I’m trying to say is, even though I love Fili, I think I might be into girls too. Maybe I’m bi…” They boys started walking toward their classes.

Ori took a deep breath, then let it out. “You should talk to him about it. Don’t hide what you think you might be feeling from him. Be honest and speak your mind.”

Kili smiled at the studious teen. “You’re smarter about relationships and dealing with people than you think you are. Try taking your own advice sometime.” The morning bell rang. “Thanks Ori.”

Ori stopped walking as he got to his class, watching Kili disappear into his classroom down the hall. He sighed and entered Mr. Balin’s world history class making eye contact with his dark haired beauty.

*****

Bard strode up to Kili and Tauriel shouting at each other for the last time as far as he was concerned.

“Kili! Didn’t I tell you the next time you two couldn’t get along, I would put you in timeout?” The dark haired team captain then looked at the girl pointing a finger at her. 

“And I told you the same thing!” Tauriel flinched as Bard got in her face. 

Before Legolas could take more than a couple steps toward the situation, Bard yelled at him too. “And you stay out of this! These two need to work it out once and for all! I’m sick of them fighting!”

Bard grabbed them both by an arm and marched them into another smaller room used for storage off the one they normally practiced in during the colder months. Neither one put up a fight seeing how angry their captain was. 

“I don’t want to bring Thorin into this! He asked me to take care of the team until he had more time to work with us, and that’s what I’m doing! Now stay in here until you two can work it out and play nice or I’ll see to it Thorin kicks you both off the team, got it?!” He slammed the door hoping for the best. They would either come to an understanding, or they would kill each other. Either way, he was done with them both.

 

Across the way in another smaller gym, the sword fighting class was having fun sparring with each other using a few basic moves they had learn so far just for fun.

Dwalin paired Ori with Éowyn. At first he was afraid he might hurt her, but she accidentally hurt him knocking him down with one good blow he wasn’t prepared for.

“Oh I’m so sorry Ori!” The little blond dropped her practice sword, and sat on the floor next to the skinny teen making sure he was alright. "Are you alright?" Ori just nodded holding his padded arm. 

Dwalin helped pull the boy up checking him over. “Defense is just as good as offense, lad!” He patted the teen on the shoulder. “We’re pretty much done for the day. You did fine, Ori!”

Their coach ended the class and called Fili aside. “You weren’t in school today?”

Fili rolled his head and gave his older cousin a look. “I needed a break.” 

“Thorin told me to watch for you because you weren’t in his class today. The school contacted your mom. Why didn’t you answer you texts? She’s been worried about you.” 

“I didn’t feel like dealing with school today. I just needed some time to myself to think about things. I didn’t mean to ignore Mom. I’ll talk to her when I go home.” With that, the blond gathered his things and headed to his car with Ori, texting Kili to let him know he was there waiting for him.

 

The two sat in the car in awkward silence as Fili was turned in his seat leaning against his car door staring at Ori, and Ori tried to ignore him looking out the window until the blond broke the silence. “I’m sorry about the other morning.”

 _‘Here we go again.’_ Thought Ori, though this time Fili was serious and stayed on his side of the car.

“I, uh…I know I’ve made you uncomfortable. I don’t know why I’ve flirted with you so much. I’ve always liked to tease guys, but I took it too far with you. You’re my friend, and I shouldn’t have done that. I took advantage of your innocence and for that, I am very sorry.”

Fili looked out the windshield watching for Kili. “I did a lot of thinking today about how I’ve been feeling lately, and l guess I’m confused about my relationship with my brother. I’ve never been with anyone else, and I guess I wonder what it would be like. We really shouldn’t be together, but I do love him more than anything in the world. I don't want anyone but Kili, and I never want to do anything to hurt him.” His day of reflection made him realize how much he truly loved Kili, not just as a brother and how much he really didn’t want to be with anyone else. Fili had made up his mind, he was never going to flirt with anyone ever again.

The tension between them left Ori, though he felt a twinge of sadness for his friend. “I can see how much he loves you too.” All he could think about now was the conversation he had with Kili that morning. Seems as though both brothers were at a point in their relationship of questioning their feelings for one another. Though Fili found clarity in his love for Kili, Kili hadn't come to terms with his feelings yet, and that made Ori sad for Fili. 

Fili tried changing the subject getting more comfortable in his car seat, he put a boot on the dashboard leaning back even more. “Hey Ori…I’ve been wanting to ask you about something. I’m failing math, and I have an exam coming up soon. If I don’t pass this test, I’m going to fail that stupid class and I really don’t want to take it over. Do you think you could help me?”

Ori was a math genius and loved to tutor people on the subject. This was his comfort zone. “Sure! I’d love to help you out with that! Just say when.”

“And I also wanted to invite you to our birthday party. Kili's birthday is two weeks after mine, so we always have one big party on a weekend in between the two. Wanna come? It’ll be pretty epic I'm sure! We'll have a great time! I’ll even invite Arwen for you...what'da ya say?” Fili grinned biting his lip.

Ori blushed a little. “Okay! Sounds like it'll be a lot of fun!”

“Alright then!" The blond kept looking at his phone, then finally sighed. "Come on Kili…I want to go home.” Fili was getting antsy waiting for Kili, and when he didn’t respond to his text, he asked Ori to go look for him. 

 

After Bard tossed the two feuding enemies into the small storage room, Kili leaned against some blue floor mats that were stacked up against the wall sighing every now and then playing around with an arrow waiting for the redhead to speak because he wasn’t going to say a word.

Tauriel joined him in leaning against the mats when she finally caved and asked, “Why do you hate me so much?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re such a bitch to me, and I’ve never done anything to you!”

She shut her eyes cringing at that thought. “You’re so stupid Kili!”

“See! You can’t say anything to me without calling me names or telling me how stupid I am!”

“You…always made fun of me when we were kids! You made fun of my red hair and freckles! You made fun of my braces! God Kili! You were so mean to me!” 

Kili did remember their childhood. “I was just a stupid kid then Tauriel! Kids are cruel! You mean to tell me after all these years, you're still holding it against me that I called you a stupid fatass bucktoothed redhead freckled face freak?” Now that he heard what he said out loud, he really started to feel bad when he noticed a tear run down her cheek as she clenched her bow a little tighter. 

“When I was about eleven, I…I had a huge crush on you…” She sort of laughed about that now sniffing tears. “But you made fun of me every chance you got. Then when I was twelve, I thought if I started doing archery with you, you would start to like me, but you made fun of me then too because I wasn’t very good at it! You made me feel so bad about myself, and I liked you so much! It hurts so bad….from then on to get over you, I decided to just hate you. Hate everything about you!” She dropped her bow and began sobbing into her hands. 

Kili sighed feeling really bad knowing how much he had hurt her though it was so long ago when they were just kids. She never forgot, and didn’t know if she’d ever forgive him for the pain she felt all these years. His words destroyed her self-esteem, though she pulled through and was now stronger for it, she still held a grudge. 

He sat the arrow he held on the stack of mats they were leaning on and awkwardly tried to put an arm around her for comfort. That seemed to make her cry even more so he backed away. He never liked girls and for some reason, they sort of scared him because he never knew the right thing to do or say. 

“I’m…” He rolled his eyes searching for the right words. “I guess, I’m sorry…I’m sorry for being a such a brat when I was a kid.” The brunette really didn’t know how to fix this.

Then Tauriel seemed even angrier at his apology. “You _guess_ you're sorry?! Being a brat when you were a kid?! What about now! How you treat me now!”

Kili felt defensive again as the two fell naturally in sync with their feuding again. “You treat me like shit every chance you get! Why can't you let it go?”

The fiery redhead reached out to slap him, when he caught her arm before she could strike him. The enemies glared at each other until they calmed, and he released his grip on her wrist. They both looked down feeling bad for how they treated each other for so many years.

Kili brought his dark eyes up to meet hers. "You're not stupid, you lost weight, you have perfect teeth and hair, and those freckles are kinda cute now..." Taking a few steps forward, he kissed her lips gently. His body trembled a little with this new euphoric feeling of kissing a girl as they both leaned into another longer sweet kiss. Kili felt his text alert going off, but chose to ignore it again.

Ori opened the door to the little room and saw the two enemies in an embrace that appeared that they no longer hated one another. Quickly closed the door quietly, and hurried out of the building going straight to Fili’s car. 

“Did you find him?” Fili asked a little irritated because Kili hadn’t answered his texts.

Ori just nodded without elaborating. “Yeah…I found him…”

****

“Hey Nori, is Dori working tonight?” Ori looked around the kitchen as his brother stirred something in a pot on the stove.

“Yep. It’s just us, kid.” Nori took a couple bowls out of the cupboard filling them with the chili he made for dinner.

“Do you think it would be alright if I invited Arwen over for a little bit?” Ori asked a little hesitantly.

Nori was pleasantly surprised at his little brother’s request, and happily answered. “Why of course! Call her and invite her over right after dinner.”

Ori did just that. He was as usual very nervous when she arrived on his doorstep, but once she sat down and he brought out some tea he began to relax.

Arwen took a sip of the hot tea watching Ori do the same. “So. Was there anything special you wanted to talk about?”

Ori held his tea cup like a security blanket. “We have that big project in world history that’s going to be due soon. Are done with it yet?”

The brunette nodded. “Almost. Are you?”

“I was done last week. I thought maybe if you needed any help, I could…” His sentence was cut short when the pretty girl placed a hand on his knee as she had done before.

“Ori…I think I know why you asked me here…” His tea almost sloshed out of the cup when he jumped at her touch and words.

“You-you do? I just thought we-we could t-talk f-f…” The girl took his cup and sat it on the saucer before she wet her lips and leaned toward the nervous teen. 

Ori could hear his own words of advice he spoke to Kili earlier that morning echoing in his head. _‘Be honest.’_

Suddenly the teen backed away. “I’m sorry Arwen!”

She wasn’t sure if she should be angry or concerned. “Ori! Don’t you like me? Did I do something to make you not want to kiss me?” 

Ori found the courage to be straight forward and honest with the girl. “I’m sorry, I’ve just never kiss a girl before! I-I’m nervous…” 

She relaxed and smiled sweetly placing her hand on his thigh again, but more of a friendly gesture this time. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”

Then Ori shook his head at her hearing his other words of advice to Kili _‘Don’t hide what you think you might be feeling’._ “I’ve never kiss a guy either…” 

The shocked look on her face told him all he needed to know. The brunette quickly removed her hand and smoothed out her light knit sweater and tucked some hair behind her ear. “I see. So, do you think you might prefer guys?” 

“I don’t know…Dori has made me feel so bad about ever even thinking about relationships in general, I don’t know what I feel, or what I should feel.” He knew he probably sounded ridiculous to her, but in her sweet understanding nature, she tried to put him at ease realizing his overprotective brother was behind his awkwardness again. 

“It’s okay Ori. You’ll know when you’re ready to like someone. You’ll just feel it, and you’ll know. It won’t matter when you do have that feeling if it’s for a girl or a guy. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. Love is love no matter who it’s with.” She knew his backwardness with her wasn’t personal, and he would find himself in his own time eventually. “You’re very cute, you know.” She grinned watching him turn pink.

Ori turned a little shy. “I wish I were as good looking as Fili and Kili.”

“Who says you’re not?” Her sweet smile melted his heart.

He grinned looking down remembering Fili mentioning his hair before. “Me. Maybe I’ll see if Dori will let me grow out my hair…”

Arwen put a finger to his lips bringing their eyes together again, she spoke adamantly. “No Dori! If you want to grow out your hair, then do it! It’s your hair and you should be able to wear it any way you want! But listen to me…” Ori liked how Arwen had become so passionate about his issues with his eldest brother. “…you are _not_ Fili or Kili! We don’t need another Durin running around this town! _Be-Your-Self!”_

Once she calmed her emotionally flare up over the matter, the pretty brunette placed a gentle hand on Ori’s chest over his heart. “Follow this and you will find happiness…”


	7. Flirting and Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a new guy in school flirting with Fili that Ori may have a crush on. Ori also finds himself a little attracted to Fili for the first time. Kili and Tauriel have words again, while Ori hears more than he should.

Tuesday, October 28 - 

Kili leaned against the lockers waiting for his brother to finish organizing his stuff for his morning classes. Yesterday was a turning point in his life, and the reason for that was now walking down the hallway with her boyfriend. Legolas caught the little finger wave Tauriel sent Kili’s way as they passed the dark haired teen.

“What was that?” The blond asked his girlfriend as he glared at Kili while he put an arm around Tauriel’s waist.

She stifled the tiny smile that crossed her lips after seeing her childhood crush. “After Bard forced us together yesterday, we came to an agreement that we’re going to make an effort to be nice to each other.”

Legolas gave her a little squeeze and quipped. “We’ll see how long that lasts.”

Fili shut his locker and followed Kili’s eyes to the couple passing by with a smirk on his face. “What’s that look for?” 

“Nothing.” Kili shook his head to refocus. Fili wasn’t so sure that look was for nothing after the way his brother acted after his archery practice the night before.

 

Ori sat his lunch bag on the cafeteria table next to Faramir and took a seat. “Where is everybody?”

The younger of the two brothers looked around for his older brother. “Not sure. Kili’s been weird today.”

Ori laughed trying not to let on to anything he might know. “He’s weird every day.” 

Faramir nodded in agreement then nudged his friend. “Have you seen the new guy?”

Ori looked in the direction Faramir had motioned towards. He was tall and thin with very long straight brown hair. He could tell he was new to the school because he had that same look everyone gets when they’re overwhelmed walking into the cafeteria for the first time not knowing anyone, and not sure where to go.

“Should we ask him to sit with us?” Ori asked.

Faramir shook his head. “No. I saw him with Legolas earlier.” Sure enough, Ori watched the new student find the blond with sit with. 

 

Ori pulled out his notebook to prepare for his creative writing class, as Thorin shut the classroom door. He watched as their teacher sent his new student to sit behind Fili. He was the boy he had seen in the cafeteria earlier.

There was something quite lovely about the new classmate, he thought though right away Fili did not like this new guy at all. He didn’t like the way he looked at him like a piece of fresh meat, and he certainly didn’t like this guy poking him in the back just to get him to turn around so he could make flirty suggestive faces at him.

It had become quite clear to Fili now how disturbing flirting could be when it was unwelcomed. By the end of class, the blond couldn’t get away from the new guy fast enough. Ori chased behind him. 

“Fili wait up! Are you still taking me to your house to study? If not, I need to call Nori.” Fili slowed his pace heading for the nearest exit. 

“Yeah, sorry. I had to get away from that guy, he was driving me crazy! I’m going to have to tell Thorin he can’t sit behind me…or near me. He’s annoying!”

Ori grinned. “He was flirting with you, wasn’t he?”

Kili walked up just in time to hear Ori’s comment. “Who’s flirting with you?” The younger brother protectively wrapped an arm around Fili as Ori answered for him.

“New guy in our creative writing class.” Then Ori spotted him and pointed him out to Kili. “There he is.”

Kili’s blood pressure began to rise with jealousy as his dark eyes met those of the new teen. “What are looking at?” He hoped pretty boy would take a hint by his dark tone, but instead he approached them. 

Fili turned to look away from the tall boy who continued to give him suggestive looks even in front of Kili who was obviously his boyfriend the way he held onto him.

“Someone told me he’s your brother.” The teen continued to provoke Kili talking about Fili as if he weren't there. 

“Yes, Fili is my brother, and he’s also my lover. Everyone here knows that.” Fili turned almost shyly into Kili’s hold not saying anything. It was the most uncomfortable he had ever been in his life being on the receiving end of unwanted attention.

“Interesting. Well, you’re lucky to have such a sexy boyfriend slash brother.” Then he turned his gaze on Ori. “And you’re kind of cute too.” The brown haired boy ran a finger down Ori’s cheek.

It took every ounce of restraint Kili could muster to keep from tearing into that guy as he strutted away. “What’s his name, Ori?”

“Lindir.” Ori answered with a touch of affection in his voice that made Kili cringe. 

“You like him, don’t you?” The ginger teen watched the new guy disappear into the crowd with a stupid grin on his face. Ori had always been too shy to talk to anyone he thought he might like, much less flirt with them, but his confidence had been on the rise lately.

“Maybe…”

 

As the three boys exited Fili's car, Ori asked holding out a calculator to give his student. “Are you ready to get started?” 

Fili snorted. “We're not even in the house yet! You’re going to be one of those teachers are ya?” The studious tutor shyly looked away as they entered the house. “I’m just kiddin’! I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s go in the living room."

Kili went straight to the family room to play video games, and Thorin was in the kitchen talking with Dis as she was preparing dinner.

The two boys got comfortable sitting on the floor next to one another leaning against the couch using the coffee table to work on. Dis brought them some drinks, and asked Ori if he would stay for dinner which he gladly accepted.

After working for almost an hour straight, Fili was feeling really anxious. “Ori, I have to stop for a little bit. I think I’m about to have an anxiety attack…” 

Ori could tell Fili was struggling trying to comprehend what he was trying to teach him. “I’m sorry, Fili. You’ll get it. I just have to figure out exactly what you don’t understand.”

“That’s easy, I don’t understand any of it! I’m fuckin’ stupid when it comes to math!” The blond was clearly frustrated as he threw his pen on the table and groaned running his hands through his hair. He picked up his phone to check for any new messages and sighed.

Without thinking anything of it, Ori put on arm around Fili’s shoulder shaking him a little giving him a side hug. “You're not stupid! You will learn this and pass that exam, I promise!” For the first time, when Fili’s blue eyes met his, Ori had a strange sensation rush through his body holding the blond so close to himself. _‘He has beautiful eyes.’_ For some reason he even leaned toward him a little before suddenly realizing how close his was, Ori pulled his arm away just as the brunette entered the room. _'Oh Jeez, why did I do that?'_ The newly confident teen scolded himself for feeling this way for Fili.

Seeing Ori’s arm around his brother, Kili’s possessiveness kicked into overdrive again. Two guys after his brother twice in one day was too much. “Fili? Could you come here a minute?” He really didn’t need anything from him other than to get him away from Ori.

Fili pushed the table back enough to get up and go to see what Kili needed. “I’ll be back in a minute.” Kili snaked his arm around Fili’s waist and pulled him out of the living room taking him into the small bathroom between the front door and stairs locking them inside. 

“What are you doing?” Fili had an idea, but wasn’t sure. 

“I…for some reason I was getting horny sitting in the other room thinking about you. All I could think about was how much I wanted to suck your cock.” Kili had already popped the button on Fili’s jeans and unzipped the zipper sliding his hands around the material trying to work them down. 

Fili could instantly feel his cock growing with anticipation, while helping his brother push down his jeans and underwear. “Kili-I…not that I don’t want it, but why?” 

“Just shut up…” Kili dropped to his knees taking his brother’s length into his hand swirling his tongue around the head before his lips wrapped around his shaft licking and sucking his way up and down over and over again before taking his brother’s cock deep into his throat.

Fili tried desperately to be quiet, but he couldn’t help the filthy groan that escaped him just before his cum shot into his demanding brother’s mouth. The blond’s legs shook as he pulled Kili up to hold him lovingly. “God Kee…that was…fucking amazing…you’re so beautiful…” Kili was looking like a hot mess with his long dark hair a tangled mess from Fili’s fingers holding his head, a dark wet spot on his t-shirt, and his usual black eyeliner was smeared. They kissed passionately still lost in their heated moment.

Someone knocked on the bathroom door startling them both. Kili wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he slowly opened the door looking very guilty as the sound of Fili’s zipper was heard.

Thorin just shut his eyes knowing very well what his nephews had been doing in there. “I need to remember to thank my sister for asking me to find you two…” The boy’s uncle turned to walk away. “…dinner’s ready. And Kili…fix yourself before your mother sees you looking like that!” 

Fili put his arms around Kili’s shoulders and kissed his forehead before pulling him into a hug, assuming he knew what caused Kili to act as he did. “You have nothing to be jealous of Kili. I love you and I promised you I would never flirt or tease Ori or anyone ever again. I mean that. I learned my lesson after the way Lindir treated me today. Ori was just trying to make me feel better about how stupid I am at math, I swear.” 

Kili cleaned himself up while Fili brought Ori into the kitchen. Once everyone had started dinner, Dis began telling Thorin about seeing the police at Óin’s house that morning. 

“I was afraid something had happened to Óin when I saw those police cars at his house. After they left, I went over to make sure he was alright and he told me someone had broken into his house and stole some drugs from his medical supply cabinet. Thank goodness he wasn’t home when it happened!”

“I thought Óin was retired?” Fili questioned. Ori remembered Fili telling him the day he showed him around their neighborhood, that Óin was a doctor and was another cousin of theirs that lived on their street.

Thorin shook his head and explained. “He retired from his practice about a year ago, but he still has a handful of older patients he does house calls for. Not too many people know that.”

Ori could see the concern on everyone’s face. “That is awful, but at least he wasn’t hurt.” 

Dis smiled putting a hand on Ori’s arm. “You’re right, Ori. We are thankful for that. It’s just scary that it happened at all.” 

Thorin tried to change the subject. "So boys, how's the sword fighting coming along?"

 

Wednesday, October 29 – 

While the archery team had finished early, the sword fighting class still had about twenty minutes to go. Ori left his group for a moment to use the restroom. When he came around the corner of the hallway, he saw Kili and Tauriel at the other end so he ducked into a doorway to hide.

It wasn’t his nature to be nosey, but in light of recent events he felt the need to eavesdrop on the two. Especially since it appeared they were fighting again. 

“What do you mean that kiss was nothing?” Tauriel had raised her voice enough to be heard clearly in the empty hallway. “It was a pity kiss? You kissed me because you felt sorry for me?”

“Yes! I guess that’s what it was...I don’t know! I wasn't trying to make you my girlfriend or anything! I-I’ve been confused a lot lately.” Kili hung his head not sure what he felt.

The redhead grabbed him and kissed him roughly though he didn’t even try to hold her as he fell into the kiss for a moment only to back away. “Tell me you didn’t feel anything! You wouldn’t have kissed me as passionately as you did the other day before we left if you didn’t feel something!”

Kili remembered how their sweet kiss had turned a bit heated before they parted. “I didn’t mean for it to go that far!”

“Right! You certainly didn’t mean for your hands to touch me everywhere! You probably would’ve fucked me right there on those mats if your stupid brother hadn’t kept texting you!” 

At the mention of his brother, he turned to leave. “Just forget anything ever happened, okay! I don’t feel anything for you! I love Fili!”

Ori heard the door slam then Tauriel yelling after him, and then talking to herself still unknowing Ori was there hiding in the doorway. 

“Aaahrrrg! Why?! You just made a fool out of me again!” She paced in circles. _‘I need to get rid of Fili!’_ “I’ll take care of your brother…You _will_ be mine…” 

Ori slipped from the doorway walking toward the restroom. Tauriel heard him and rounded to see who was there. Her green eyes flared. "Did you hear anything you little shit?" 

What little bit of confidence Ori had gained disappeared in a flash as he flinched and stuttered watching her pad toward him like a predator. "I-me, no I-d-didn't hear anything! What?" 

The redhead gave the shaking boy an evil look as she quietly threatened him. "If you say anything to anyone, I will make your life _miserable,_ got it?" 

Ori nodded ardently as he began to sweat.


	8. Ori's Eighteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ori's eighteenth birthday.

Thursday, October 30 - 

_'Today is my eighteenth birthday!'_  
Ori woke up earlier than usual to the smell of bacon wafting through the air. He smiled jumping out of bed to see what else Dori had made for his birthday breakfast. It was one of the few times a year he let him have something besides oatmeal or some other type of healthy food to start his day. His brother’s greeted the birthday boy heartily with big smiles and hugs.

Sitting down to enjoy his favorite veggie omelet and bacon with a side of potatoes, he saw two cards propped up next to a very small gift box. After reading the birthday cards, one heartfelt mushy one from Dori and a hilariously funny one from Nori, Ori carefully opened the small box.

“Well?” Nori almost couldn’t contain his excitement for Ori.

Ori’s mouth dropped open and his eyes widen looking at Dori in utter shock as he pulled out a set of keys from the little box. 

Nori laughed out loud as he commented. “Now you just have to learn how to drive it!” 

Dori patted the teen on the back. “Nori told me you said you were ready, and I had been saving up some money knowing you would need a car eventually for when you go off to college. Nori found a decent used car, and we just couldn’t pass it up!”

Ori went to the window to see his new old blue car parked in their driveway. He turned and threw his arms around his eldest brother who oofed at the sudden impact, then laughed as his baby brother gave him a tight squeeze.

“Thank you guys, so much!” Then he gave Nori a big hug too. “This is already the best birthday ever!”

 

Ori walked into school with his head held high feeling on top of the world this morning. As he shut his locker door, not only Fili but Kili was standing there waiting for him. 

"Happy birthday, Bowtie!" Kili handed Ori a bag he had recognized from a store in the mall, then Fili did the same. "Happy birthday, Einstein!"

Ori blushed taking the bags from his friends peeking inside each one to see what they gave him. "Oh my gosh! Thanks guys! I'm going to change clothes right now!" The brothers laughed watching Ori scurry off to the restroom. 

Ori returned to his locker to put the bags holding his old clothes away and showed off the clothes his friends had given him. "Well? What do you think?" The birthday boy was now wearing a pair of tight black skinny jeans like Kili's favorite pair, and a black t-shirt with a picture of none other than Einstein on it. 

"Wow! I wouldn't have recognized you, you really look so different!" Kili laughed and ran off hearing the morning bell ring.

"You look great, Ori! See ya at lunch!" Fili gave him a hug before he ran off too.

 

As Ori walked into his first period classroom, Arwen did a double-take as did Éowyn. The girls looked at each other and giggled. Éowyn turned around in her chair to get a better look.

“Who are you, and what did you do with Ori?” The blond teased with a smile, and ran her hand over his left arm bicep as he leaned on his desktop. "Sword fighting is already doing wonders for you too, I see!"

Ori just ducked his head and grinned at her comments, then his grin turned into a smile as he saw Arwen nodding her head giving him a thumbs up.

Mr. Balin shut the classroom door and started their lessons for the day. 

Everything was good until Azog kicked his chair. Ori wouldn’t even look back, so the big brute kicked his chair harder a second time. Ori pushed up his glasses, and looked back just enough to see a folded up piece of paper being shoved at him. Azog whispered and pointed at Éowyn, “Give it to her.”

Ori hesitantly took the note not wanting Azog to continue to harass him throughout the class, and tried to tap Éowyn’s arm with the paper to give it to her. 

Just as she started to turn, Azog gave Ori’s chair a hefty kick making a lot of noise and knocking him forward causing him to drop the note on the floor. 

Mr. Balin immediately went over to see what the commotion was all about, when he caught Ori reaching for the folded paper on the floor between his desk and Éowyn’s chair. 

“I’ll take that!” The white haired teacher snatched up the note and opened it. Balin’s mouth dropped open, he was flabbergasted at what the note said not to mention there were sketches to go with the note.

He frowned and shook his head looking at Ori. “You want to do what to Miss Rohan?” 

Ori was utterly confused because he obviously didn’t write the note, and had no idea what it said. When Balin looked away for a second, Azog kicked Ori’s chair again as a reminder.

“I’m appalled! Did you write this Ori?” Balin stood over the teen waiting for some explanation. He couldn’t believe Ori would do such a thing hoping the real author of the foul note would own up to it.

Of course Ori didn’t want to get Azog in trouble because he knew he would probably get the shit kicked out of him, so once again he took the punishment for Azog’s wrongdoing. 

Ori shrunk in his seat and nodded. Balin looked around the room until his eyes landed on Azog's smirk, but continued to speak to Ori. “You are sure you wrote this note, Ori?” 

After the teen said yes, Balin asked him to come along with him to the principal’s office. Ori could barely stand up he was shaking so much, but he did and started to follow his teacher out of the room when his friend spoke up sending them back into the room. 

Faramir stood up when Balin stepped back into the room, and repeated himself. “I did it!”

Boromir slapped at his brother. “Sit down, you idiot!”

Mr. Balin crossed his arms. He didn’t believe Faramir had wrote that note either. Balin had been a teacher long enough to know what kids were good and what kids were bad, when they were covering and when they were lying. Ori was covering, and so was Faramir. Azog was lying, and he wasn't about to confess. "Someone needs to tell me the truth so i can get on with class, or everyone's going to get a detention!"

Ori couldn't believe his ears when he heard Tauriel speak up. "Mr. Balin, it was Azog. I saw him give the note to Ori to pass to Éowyn." 

_'What was this girl up to?'_ he wondered, but was very grateful. Without any expression, her eyes met his only for a second as she looked back to their teacher.

Azog growled at her staring her down, but she refused to acknowledge the bully. 

After class was over, Ori tried to thank Tauriel for standing up for him and telling the truth, but the redhead threw her hand up to his face and said, "I didn't do it for you."  

When Ori got home from school, Dori kept looking him up and down checking out the clothing he was wearing.

“What on earth are you wearing? Where are your clothes?” Dori apparently didn’t approve, and Ori didn’t care.

“My friends, Fili and Kili gave me these clothes and I love it! I want to wear more clothes like this!” Before Dori could say another word, Ori took his things to his room and shut the door. He looked at himself in the mirror over his dresser. 

He was feeling good about himself these days, and it was the small victories of standing his ground with his brother that boosted his confidence as he was now set on a journey of finding himself. 

 

After dinner Arwen invited Ori to come over to her house to spend some time together. The two friends chatted for a while over some hot tea, and she gave him an expensive really nice smelling bottle of cologne for his birthday.

Ori put some of the cologne on right away before closing the bottle and sitting it on the table. “I love it Arwen, thank you so much!” 

He automatically gave her a hug, but didn’t let ago right away. With his face so close to hers, he thought about giving her a kiss, but Arwen moved first and gave him a sweet chaste kiss on the cheek. “I'm glad you like it! You’re a sweet, wonderful friend, Ori.” 

It was at that moment looking into her beautiful blue eyes he knew in his heart, she was and would always be just a friend.


	9. Tattoos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Fili's eighteenth birthday, and he talks Ori into getting a tattoo with him.

Saturday, November 1 – 

Fili’s eighteenth birthday was just as special for him waking up to his brother’s big doe eyes staring at him with that dopey grin he loved so much. “Happy Birthday Fee!” 

“Thanks Kee.” Reaching up, Fili pulled Kili down to him to get his morning kiss just as their mother knocked on their door. 

Dis always knocked before opening their bedroom door. Finding her sons having sex once was one time too many, and she never wanted a repeat of that.

“Happy Birthday, Love!” Dis sat on the side of Kili’s bed as her birthday boy sat up with Kili on his other side. His mother handed him a blue envelope which he carefully opened.

Pulling out the birthday card, he read every word and the special message his mother added as he got a tear in his eye over the sentiments she wrote. He also thought about how much he missed his father wondering if he would’ve been just as proud of him as his mother says she is.

“Open the other envelope!” Kili bounced on the bed like an excited little kid pointing to the second smaller envelope that had fallen out of the card. 

Fili opened the other envelop and laughed. “Thanks Mom! Did Kili tell you this is what I wanted?” 

She smiled at her younger son, and ran her hand tenderly down the side of his smiling face. “Yes, he did! He told me all you’ve been talking about was getting a new tattoo when you turned eighteen, so I hope that’s enough money. And you’re legal now so you can go without me signing any forms this time!” He gave her a big hug, then Kili. 

“So? When are you going?” Kili asked. 

 

“Ori! Come on, go with me!” Fili begged. “You just turned eighteen too, you can get a tattoo without asking Dori! He doesn’t even need to know about it. Get it somewhere on your body he won’t see it!” Fili really wanted to share this moment with his friend.

“I don’t know. I’m afraid it’ll hurt too much and I’ll have to stop them in the middle of doing it and then it’ll look ridiculous! Anyhow, aren’t tattoos kind of expensive? I don’t have much money right now. And I don’t know what I would get anyway.”

“Your excuses are weak. I’ll help you out with the money. We’re going this afternoon! I’ll pick you up at two!” Ori eventually agreed with a sigh. _‘This is permanent! What kind of tattoo would I want, and where should I put it?’_ He asked himself looking in the mirror. 

When the two teens walked into the tattoo shop, they saw a young girl sitting in one of the chairs looking through a magazine. She flipped her candy apple red hair away from her face and smiled. “What can I do for you two today?” Ori was pleasantly surprised. This place wasn’t as dark and scary as he had always imagined a tattoo shop to be like. It was quite the opposite.

Another artist working on someone’s arm tattoo looked over at them and mentioned he was almost done. Since they were obviously not busy, the two of them should get service right away. 

The girl asked them what they wanted done, and Fili handed her the design he had already had made for his. Ori told her he had no idea, so she showed him everything he could choose from. After about ten minutes of sorting through the hundreds of images, the male tattoo artists greeted Fili and took him back to get started.

The female artist didn’t want to hover over Ori, but she could tell he was having a hard time finding something. 

“Is this your first?” He nodded. “I assume you might want something small?” Again he nodded. “Do you want a picture of something special? Maybe something that might have meaning for you?” Ori still wasn’t sure, but then it came to him. He knew what he wanted. 

“Great! Let me get that design together for you real quick and if you like it, we’ll probably have this all done before your friend is done with his!” She started to head back to another room and told Ori he should come with her and make sure what she designed was exactly what he wanted. He said he would but wanted to check on Fili first.

Fili was shirtless lying on his side while his tattoo artist worked on his ribcage. “So? What did you decide on?”

Ori smiled, “It’s not much. She’s working on it for me right now. It’s just a few words. I’ll show you when it’s done.” As nervous as he felt inside, he wasn’t letting it show on the outside as he met up with his artist. It was only three words and she used the font Ori picked out.

“Are you ready?” Ori sat in a chair across from Fili who watched him closely making sure he was alright.

“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” He said taking a deep breath.

“Breath Hun.” Ori exhaled and tried to breathe normally. “That’s good. Now I’m just going to do a little to get started, and you tell me how it feels, okay?” 

After he said alright, the female artist brought the tattoo gun to his bare chest. He immediately jumped at the first touch and she pulled back quickly. He sort of laughed and said it was fine though he was shaking and little beads of sweat were appearing on his forehead. 

The girl started again when she was sure he was alright, and just gotten through the first letter of his tattoo when he told her he felt funny. The next thing he saw as his eyes fluttered open was Fili leaning over him.

“Ori! Ori? Are you okay?” The groggy teen shook his head a little as his artist and Fili held him on both sides. “Dude, you passed out!”

Fili’s artist commented with a little chuckle, “That happens more often here than you think. Though it’s usually the big burly guys that pass out. He’ll be fine.” 

Ori laughed it off and knowing now what it was going to feel like, he was alright to get started again. 

As soon as Fili knew his friend was okay, he went back to his artist to finish up, and Ori got his tattoo completed almost the same time. 

The two teens stood there checking out each other’s new ink. Ori loved how detailed and amazing Fili’s tattoo turned out, and Fili was scratching his head over the wording on the left side of Ori’s chest. Ori's tatto was eagle wings enclosing three words that read with all the letters of the words turned backwards. 

“Uh, it looks cool and all, but what does it say?” The female artist giggled at the blond's question. 

Ori walked Fili to stand in front of a wall mirror with him. Fili laughed at the cleverness that could’ve only come from Ori as he explained, “This way every time I look in the mirror, it will remind me.” In the mirror as Ori would see the tattoo in his reflection every day it read _‘Believe in Yourself’._

“Dori’s going to flip if he ever sees this.” Ori began to feel a little guilty.

“It’s your body, and it’s not like you got a big ugly tattoo across you face or anything stupid you'd regret later. You made a perfect choice by getting something small to start, and it really means something to you.” Fili gave his friend a side hug. "Now we just need to get you pierced somewhere!"

"Whoa! I don't think so! Getting this tattoo was way out of my comfort zone, so no. No piercings on this body!" Ori cringed just thinking about the pain of being pierced anywhere.

Fili just laughed and tousled his ginger hair. "We'll see about that!" They jumped in the car to go home and show Kili and Dis what they had done.

Dis loved both of the boys' tattoos. "I love how detailed and tastefully done they were. Well done boys!" She gave them both hugs and Kili a quick kiss on the head before leaving for work. "You boys be good, and I'll see you in the morning."

Ori watched Kili’s reaction to Fili's tattoo. He could see a trace of guilt on the brunette’s face. 

“Do you like it, Kee?” The blond held his shirt up to show Kili beaming with pride over his new ink, as Ori bit his lip watching the two.

The tattoo was beautifully detailed script font that read _‘I Love My Brother For There Is No Other’_

“Do you mean it, Fee?" Fili tried to read the look in his dark eyes before he answered sincerely. "Of course I mean it. That's why I had it permanently written on my body."

"I love it, it’s beautiful.” Kili threw himself into his brothers arms, and wouldn’t let go. “I love you, Fili.”

Fili didn't want to let go either, but it was his birthday and he wanted to lighten the mood again. "Come one guys. Let's have a few beers for my birthday while we start planning our party for next week. I can't wait!"


	10. The Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fili and Kili's party

Friday, November 7 -

“Good job Fili!” Fili laughed giving Ori a big hug as he held onto his math exam with ‘92' marked on the paper.

“Thanks Ori! I couldn’t have done it without your help. I not only passed the test, I passed the class! You’re an amazing teacher, Einstein.” The blond ruffled his friend’s ginger hair.

Ori looked up seeing Arwen and Éowyn walking passed them. “See you tomorrow night?” The brunette nodded as the girls kept walking.

Fili grinned giving his friend an elbow to the side. “She said she was coming to our party tomorrow night. You’re going to have a great time.” 

“D-did you happen to invite…Lindir?” Ori shoved a hand into his pocket looking at the ground waiting for an answer.

Fili just happened to notice Lindir and Legolas following behind the girls. “No…I invited Legolas cause he’s always comes to our parties, and he’s never been a jerk to me…Do you want Lindir there?” With no response, the blond took the hint. “Alright…for you, but you need to keep him away from me and Kili. You can invite him, I’m not going to.”

 

At the end of the school day, Ori just hopped inside Nori’s truck when he remembered he left something in his locker he needed.

“Do you really need it?” Nori had a rough day and just wanted to go home.

“Yes, yes I do! It’ll only take a second.” Ori jumped out of the truck and ran back into the school headed toward his locker.

Literally jogging down the hallway, Ori was looking down at a reminder he wrote on his notebook when he felt like he ran into a brick wall bouncing back a few steps for he had run straight into Gimli and Azog. Azog grabbed Ori’s scrawny shoulder with his meaty hand.

“Watch where you’re going, dickhead!” He shoved him out of the way as he and Gimli kept walking. 

Just as Ori was catching his breath ready to proceed to his locker again, Tauriel strutted by giving him an evil eyed looked. For some reason he tried to smile at her when he said, “See you at the party tomorrow?”

Figuring she would just keep walking, she actually turned for a moment and said, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

 

Saturday, November 8 – 

Dis laid her phone on the kitchen table and put her hands over her face. Her boys stopped eating their breakfast to ask, “What’s wrong, Mom?”

She sighed deeply, “I have to work tonight.” Fili and Kili still weren’t sure why she seemed so upset about it. “I’m sorry boys. There’s no way you can have your party without me here tonight.”

They both groaned like spoiled children. “But Mooom! Everyone’s coming!”

“I’m sorry! It’s not that I don’t trust you two, I don’t want to be responsible for what trouble the other kids could get into.”

“We’ll take care of the house, Mom! Promise!” Kili’s brow furrowed as he pleaded with his mother.

“It’ll be fine! I’m eighteen now, so it’s not like an adult won’t be here!” Fili really didn’t know the magnitude of responsibility he was placing upon himself with that statement.

Dis sort of snickered at her eldest. “Legally you’re an adult, that’s about it.” She stood from the kitchen table taking her plate to the sink. Feeling her sons’ disappointment, she did what she knew better than to do. “I guess I could ask Frerin to supervise. I would ask Thorin, but he and Bilbo are going away for the weekend.”

Fili and Kili’s excitement returned even more than before knowing Frerin would be there, until Dis squashed their ideas. 

“And don’t think he’s going to party with you because I’m telling him straight up, that’s not happening! I will kick his ass into his next life if I find out he so much as brings one joint into my house. Do you two understand me?” The two nodded with disappointed faces, but at least she was still going to let them have their party.

Against her better judgment, Dis left her brother in charge of her house, her sons and their guests. None of their friends had arrived yet as the party wasn’t to start for another half hour.

As soon as Dis’s car was out of sight, Frerin shut the front door and his nephews ran into his arms both giving him a kiss. “Okay, you know I was given strict orders by the boss about this, so this is our secret right?”

Of course his nephews weren’t going to say anything. They followed their uncle to the family room where they sat on each side of him waiting for him to light up a huge joint to share with them. “Happy birthday boys!”

 

Ori literally smacked Dori’s hand away from his hair when his eldest brother touched the long curls drooping over his ear.

“Ori! I just said you need a haircut and a shave! What’s the matter with you?”

“I’m not cutting my hair! I want it to grow out and I want to grow a beard!” 

“Nori! This is all your fault!” Dori shouted for his brother to hear.

“What are you babbling on about now?” Nori was skilled at letting anything Dori fussed about roll off his shoulders unlike his younger brother.

“Ori is refusing to get his hair cut and I know it’s because of you and that mess of hair on your head!” Dori grumbled as he stomped out of the room. “Looks like a damn rats nest…”

“I like Nori’s hair and I’m not growing it out because of him!” Ori went to his bedroom and pulled off his sweater vest throwing it on his bed. Then he reached into a bag pulling out a t-shirt Fili had given him. 

After the teen removed his button down shirt, he looked at his reflection in the mirror over his dresser. Along with some weights Nori had given him to work out with and his sword fighting class, he had gained some muscle on his thin frame. 

Ori turned a little admiring the slight definition in his arms now that Éowyn had pointed out, then he ran a hand across his chest that was no longer completely flat and scrawny looking as his eyes were drawn to his tattoo. 

Putting on the black t-shirt that had the word ‘Death Knight’ screen printed on it for his favorite WoW toon, he looked in the mirror again to work on his hair again. Feeling pretty good about himself, he put on some of the cologne Arwen had given him, and he was ready for his first real party. 

 

Many hours into the party the music was playing rather loudly, everything seemed to be going great. The pizzas disappeared soon after they arrived, as most of the other snacks and drinks slowly dwindled. Everyone was having a good time drinking beer, but that was all about to change when someone thought it was a good idea to start doing shots of whiskey.

Fili caught Kili with a shot glass in his hand and stopped him before he could drink the liquor. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I was about to have my first shot. Do you want to do one with me?” The soon to be seventeen year old asked.

“No, and you’re not doing it either!” Fili tried to take the glass from him.

Kili pulled his arm away from his brother and threw back the shot. “Since when do you tell me what I can and can’t do?” 

“Kili!” 

“Oh, lighten up Fee!” Kili picked up the bottle poured another shot for himself, and another one he filled handing it to Fili.

Ori joined them in the kitchen watching Fili take the shot glass and down it at the same time Kili did his second one. Kili cupped the blond’s face and licked Fili’s lips teasingly and whispered, “I’ll be back for more…” he pulled back and gave him a wicked look before grabbing his own bottle of whiskey leaving the room. 

Fili knew Kili was playing games with him because it was what he used to do to him when he was really horny. He shook his head watching his brother go down the basement stairs. _'He's going to get wasted way too fast.'_

“So Ori, do you want to do a shot?” Fili sat his shot glass down to refilled it and Kili’s glass handing that one to Ori. 

Ori stuttered a little looking around at the people in the kitchen all watching him now. “I-I don’t…well…okay…” Feeling the pressure of everyone staring at him, he took the glass and started to just drink it.

“No Ori, you’re supposed to drink all at once.” Fili quietly explained.

“It’s awful! It burns!” Ori’s face made the blond want to laugh.

“Just swallow it really fast, you’ll be okay.” Fili reassured him. 

Ori laughed after he emptied the shot glass and handed it back to him. “It wasn’t that bad...” he said gasping for air. "...I guess." 

Fili watched Ori standing in the kitchen start to sway a little. “Fee…I’m not feeling so good…”

The blond got their jackets, and took the light weight out the back door so he could sit outside to get some fresh air. They sat on a wooden picnic bench looking up into the clear night sky. 

After a few minutes of silence, Fili checked on his friend. “Are you alright?”

Ori looked up and laughed. “Yeah…actually I feel _really_ good now. Though everything seems to be moving…”

“Well, don’t get up too fast then.” Fili wasn’t positive he was feeling very good at the moment, so he didn’t move yet. “So have you got to talk to Lindir or Arwen?”

“Yeah. I don’t think he really likes me. I think he just likes to tease me…like you used to do…” Ori’s soft brown eyes caught Fili’s in the moonlight. 

“Sorry about that.” Fili sometimes regretted the way he teased his friend when they first met. “You were just so damn cute, I couldn’t help myself!” His dimples grew deeper as he smiled biting his lip making Ori blush.

 

Kili realized by the time he got to the last step into the basement, he probably shouldn’t have drank two shots back-to-back as he stood there swaying, holding onto the banister. 

Legolas, Lindir and a girl Kili didn’t know just finished a game of pool when they noticed the brunette watching them. “Do you want play, Kili?” The blond asked.

“No, I’m just going…over…there…” The teen stumbled his way to the couch, falling into it. He took a few more drinks from the bottle and sat it down before throw his head back against the couch. Just as he was about to possibly pass out, he heard people arguing so he lifted an eyelid to see what was going on.

Tauriel was pissed off about something, as usual, but she and the other girl started screaming and slapping at one another while Legolas and Lindir parted them. Kili laughed to himself shutting his eyes again. _‘Stupid girls…’_

 

Boromir opened the back door leaning out he looked around and saw only Fili and Ori were out there. “Fili, you need to go to the basement.” Ori started to get up too. “Ori, stay there…”

Fili remembered Kili had went into the basement. “Is Kili alright?” 

Boromir snorted and pushed the blond toward the stairwell. Fili started to hurry down the carpeted stairs of the finished basement, but froze on the stairs leaning against the banister looking into the basement he gasped. 

With her skirt bunched up and her top pushed down, Tauriel was straddling Kili on the couch grinding against him pressed against the couch. Kili had one hand on her ass, and another wrapped around her back holding her close sucking on her neck while she was riding him. She looked over and waved her fingers at the blond giving him a deceitful look. 

“Hey Fili…” She smirked. “Wanna watch your brother fuck me?”

Breathing heavily, Kili immediately stopped sucking on her neck to see his lover/brother standing there looking so hurt and betrayed. “Fili!” 

Fili ran back up the stairs passed Boromir, and out the back door.

“Fili!” The blond stopped running when he heard Ori’s voice. “What’s wrong?”

 

Downstairs, Kili tried to get up to go find Fili, but Tauriel wouldn’t let him up. When he finally pushed her off of himself, he fixed his jeans and tried to run up the stairs, but stumbled drunkenly half way up.

Boromir grabbed him up and held him against the wall on the stairwell. “What the fuck, Kili? Why would you do that to Fili?” 

The brunette didn’t have a good answer. “I-I guess…I drank…too much, and she…”

“That’s a fuckin’ lame excuse…” He pretty much dropped boneless Kili on the stairs, and went on up to the kitchen shutting the basement door to leave him down there with Tauriel.

 

After Fili stopped running hearing Ori called to him, he slowly walked back to sit on the picnic bench next to his friend putting his face in his hands leaning his elbows on his knees. 

“What’s going on?” Ori heard people yelling and shouting from inside before and after Fili ran outside.

Fili calmed down enough to give the friend the best answer he could for the moment. “Umm…I guess…Kili and I are no longer…together…” The blond couldn’t believe he would ever hear himself say that.

Ori shook his head. “What? What happened? What do you mean?”

“Apparently Kili and Tauriel really made up, because they were being more than friendly on the couch downstairs…I can’t believe he’d do that to me! With her of all people! God, I feel so fucking stupid right now!” Fili stood up and kicked a chair across the patio. 

After pacing around for a few minutes he finally sat back down next to Ori breathing heavily. Ori put an arm around his distraught friend letting him rest his head on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry Fili…” They sat that way for a long time, then Ori reached back for the bottle of whiskey sitting on the table behind them. “Want some?” The skinny teen opened the bottle and took a drink handing it to Fili, who finally smiled and also took a swig. 

The two friends sat there passing the bottle back and forth getting more inebriated by the minute as they laughed about it. Ori’s plan to help Fili forget what had happened just to make him laugh and smile again was working. The blond leaned back over resting his head of golden curls on the ginger’s shoulder again.

Eventually Fili lifted his head from Ori’s shoulder slowly, and looked his friend in the eye. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was Fili trying to help the hurt he felt from Kili’s unfaithfulness, but he leaned forward a little, then a little more until his lips were pressed against Ori’s. 

When his friend didn’t react at all because he was in shock, he kissed him again, and the next time he felt Ori slightly kiss back. Fili brought his hand up to the side of Ori’s face as he kissed him some more until he slid his tongue across Ori’s lips, the ginger teen pulled back.

“I’m sorry!” Fili sat back too breaking the moment.

Ori was still in shock that his friend was just kissing him. “It-it’s okay…I-I’m sorry. I liked it.”

Fili seemed confused. “Can I kiss you again?”

Ori nodded, so the blond repeated the same move. With one hand he cupped the side of his face and kissed him softly, but as soon as he tried to slide his tongue across his lips again, Ori pulled back.

“Ori…what’s wrong?” 

Ori looked down and shut his eyes. “Fili…that was my first kiss.” 

“I thought you and Arwen…”

“I lied. We never kissed. She kissed me on the cheek, that’s all. We’re just friends.” 

Fili could feel him trembling, and it wasn’t from the November chill in the air.

“You’re shaking…It’s alright. Just relax, okay?” Ori nodded. He felt silly about it, but he didn’t want to tell Fili he was afraid of his tongue ring. 

They started to kiss and again just as Ori started to pull away, Fili grabbed the back of his head holding him there, he whispered across his lips “Ori, give me your tongue. It’ll feel nice, I promise…”

Ori tried to relax and let his lips part for Fili. "Ori...give it to me..." Time stood still, feeling of the blond’s tongue and the silver ball against his own tongue sent shivers through his body. _‘Oh! This does feel very nice!’_ Ori thought almost wanting more, but the moment was broken when Fili sat back.

The blond took a deep breath. “So…do you like kissing guys now?” He tried to make light of the situation, but was still hurting inside.

Ori chuckled realizing how ridiculous this all seemed at the moment. He felt slighted by Lindir, Fili just broke up with Kili, his friend just kissed him, and they were both completely intoxicated on whiskey.

“If all guys kiss like you, then yes, I love kissing guys!” Ori turned away bashfully.

“You’re a great friend, Ori.” Fili patted a hand on his friend’s thigh before he got up and go inside. “I’m going to go get a beer…don’t fall asleep out here, it might get cold overnight.”

Ori watched Fili go into the house. It wasn’t alright, and this wasn’t supposed to happen. The feelings he had been having around Fili were even stronger now. Even though he kissed him, he knew he was still just a friend…like Arwen was just a friend.

 

Fili poured a beer into a mug and took a few drinks before sitting it down on a table in the hallway outside the tiny bathroom by the upstairs stairwell. 

When he left the bathroom, he picked up his mug and walked into the living room to chat with guests in that room for a little bit. 

“Lindir, Ori’s a great guy. I think he really likes you.” Fili tried to make amends with the tall brown haired guy.

“Yes. I suppose he is nice, but you’re more my type.” The new guy wasn’t going to let up on Fili as he reached out to touch a strand of golden blond curls along the side of his face.

Trying to be polite, the blond backed off taking another drink nervously. “Well, you really should get to know Ori. I think he’d be your type if you’d give him a chance.” 

As he turned to walk out of the living room, he suddenly wasn’t feeling well. Arwen had just stepped into the living room when she saw Fili stumble. She reached for him, just in time to keep him from falling over. 

“Are you alright?” Fili could hear her soft voice asking him a question, but he just nodded and kept going for the stairs. He only wanted to get to his bed to lay down before he passed out in front of everyone.

Some beer sloshed out of his mug as he slammed it on the same table by the bathroom, and slowly made his way up the first flight. By the time he made it to the landing, Fili slid down the wall until he could catch himself on the next flight of stairs. _‘Way too much to drink, Fili’_ He told himself trying to figure out why he became so weak so suddenly.

Tauriel came down the stairs finding the blond struggling to make it up the stairs. “Fili? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Go away.” He finally made it up the stairs with the redhead right behind him. Helping him to his bed, she pulled him down on top of herself on the bed, and kissed him. 

“What the fuck are you doing? Get off me!” Fili tried to push himself away from her, but he was so weak she was able to hold him there.

“Don’t you want to get back at Kili?” The blond couldn’t figure out what this crazy bitch was up to. He may have been very weak and drunk, but he still had some wit about him for the moment. _‘You want to play games, huh?’_

He kissed her much to her surprise feeling him press his groin against her. “What do you have in mind?”

She smiled wickedly, “How about if you fuck me with that big cock of yours and we film it for Kili?”

“My big cock, huh?”

“Yeah. I heard you have a really big cock.”

“You did? Yeah, you heard right. It is really big, and I bet your pussy’s dripping wet wanting it right now, isn’t it?”

She couldn’t believe how fucking hot Fili was talking dirty to her right now. She almost thought for a moment she had chosen the wrong brother to go after. 

“Yes, Fili…you want to fuck me?”

The blond laughed, then yelled at her. “I can’t believe you! You are such a fucking slut! I hate girls! I wish we were filming this right now so my dumbass prick of a brother could see what he’s fucking around with!” Fili found enough strength to flip himself off his bed onto the floor away from the tramp.

Tauriel furiously reached down to smack the blond lying helpless on the floor. “Fuck you, Fili! You’re not going to remember any of this tomorrow anyway! I’m going to make sure Kili doesn’t want you back and one way or another, he will be mine!” It was less than a few minutes after the fiery redhead left the room, Fili passed out where he lay on the floor.

 

A few hours after all their guests were gone, Frerin woke up freezing lying on in a lounge chair on the front porch. “Oh shit! Dis is going to kill me!” He immediately ran into the kitchen to grab a couple garbage bags and started throwing away every piece of garbage he could find throughout the main floor of the house, then cleaning surface as fast as he could watching the clock.

Kili came up the basement stairs rubbing his eyes, he stood there watching his uncle running around like his life depended on it. Oh yeah, it did. “Do you need some help?” 

Frerin took a moment to breathe, and laughed. “Yeah. If you can…you look a little wasted, boy…”

“My head hurts…” Kili went back downstairs with a garbage bag to clean up. Picking up cans, plastic cups, paper plates and a few bottles he threw everything into the bag, even used the brush to clean off their pool table, the room almost looked perfect again. 

As he went to straighten the blanket on the couch, he saw a girl’s bag lying on the floor next to the couch. Memories of the night before flooded his mind making his head hurt worse. He shut his eyes and apologized to Fili telepathically. He knew he had a lot of explaining to do tomorrow.

Picking up the girl’s purse to take upstairs, and a small plastic bag fell out. “What’s that?” Kili picked up the bag to investigate the very small amount of white powder. “Oh shit…is that coke?” The brunette looked around like he was being watched, though he knew better. He shoved the plastic baggy back into the purse, and took it upstairs with him.

“Frerin, I’m going to go to bed. The basement’s clean now.” Kili dropped the garbage bag on the kitchen floor before running upstairs with the purse in hand. 

“Thanks for helping, Kee. You’re Mom’s going to be home soon.” Frerin took all the garage bags out back to the garbage cans, and found the whiskey bottle Fili and Ori drank out there. “Oh fuck…they were drinking whiskey? Dis will kill me if she finds out about that!”

Kili opened their bedroom door, and quietly closed it behind him. Their room was lit by moonlight just enough for Kili to be reminded his brother would not be sleeping with him in his bed tonight. He saw his brother sound asleep in his own bed for the first time in ages, though what else he saw hurt him deeply. Fili was holding Ori wrapped around him like he always did with Kili. 

Kili’s bottom lip began to quiver, as tears stung his eyes. Then his heart broke when he saw a used condom on the floor near Fili’s bed. Perhaps his brother wasn't upset about him and Tauriel at all. He just grabbed the first person he could to take his place in bed. Fili apparently wasn't going to forgive him for what he had done, so he wasn't going to forgive Fili either. The broken hearted teen tossed the purse into a corner, and dove into his bed hiding under the blankets, crying himself to sleep. He was so angry with Fili and himself, knowing this was all his fault. 


	11. The Aftermath

Bright sunlight filled their bedroom rudely waking Fili from a dead sleep. He groaned from the queasiness in his stomach, and the pounding in his head. It took several minutes before he could even remember why he was feeling so trashed this morning.

Feeling the warmth of a body pressed against his, gave him some comfort until he realized the body his naked body was wrapped around, wasn’t Kili. Pushing away from the body with such force, he almost fell out of the bed. 

“Ori?” Sitting there in his bed next to his naked friend still sound asleep, he shook his head in confusion and disbelief. Fili couldn’t remember anything from the night before. Shaking from the cold, he slid out of the bed onto the floor to find his clothes that were strewn about mingled with Ori’s, and that’s when he found it.

“What the?” Feeling the blood draining from his face, he started to panic finding the used condom near his bed and a washcloth under his bed. “Oh shit…” His mind scrambled for a reasonable answer. Fili didn’t remember even going to bed himself, much less sharing his bed with Ori. 

Readily throwing on some clothes, his heart raced as he paced around the room trying to remember something, anything, and then he saw two big dark eyes watching him.

“Kili…”

“Don’t talk to me, Fili…” Kili turned over pulling the blankets up to his chin.

“You fuckin’ cheated on me and you’re acting like _I_ did something wrong?!” That he remembered.

With his back turned away from his brother, Kili countered. “So that gave you the right to take Ori to your bed?”

“And I’m supposed to forgive and forget the fact that you fucked Tauriel? Of all people Kili! How am I supposed to be okay with that?”

“I wasn’t asking you to be okay with it! You could've at least argued with me about how stupid I was before you ran off and fucked Ori!” Then he mumbled “You’ve wanted him since you met him….you found your opportunity and you took it.”

“So now you’re trying to turn this around on me like it's my fault? I think you really want Tauriel, and you're not man enough to just tell me you want to break up with me!" 

“How are you two going to fix this?” The brothers calmly turned to follow the voice of reason sitting on Fili’s bed.

“Fix what, Ori? Maybe we were never meant to be together, and all this happened for a reason.” Fili commented turning his eyes on his brother. 

Flipping himself over with the blankets again Kili got in the last word. “We’re done…we’re just brothers now, nothing more…the way it should be…” 

Ori sat there, and shook his head. “We all drank too much. 

Fili gathered up his friend’s clothes tossing them to him before leaving the room in a huff. He was angry at Kili for cheating on him and angry at himself for drinking too much. He was angry he couldn’t remember going to bed or how Ori got there, and why they were naked there together. 

Stepping off the last step into the basement, the blond looked at the couch having a flashback of his brother, his lover there with _her_. They both screwed up. _‘How could this have happened?’_ he wondered.

Ori had quietly snuck up behind him.

“Hey Ori...Are you alright?”

Ori looked down fidgeting his fingers together nervously. “What did we do last night?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I know it looks like we had sex, but I can't remember. I’m sorry. You should at least remember the first time you do it, and do it with someone you love.” Fili did feel guilty about that.

Ori’s eyes flitted about not sure what to say. “It’s alright. If we did, at least I know I did it with someone I like.”

The blond grinned at how well Ori was taking all the uncertainty surrounding their predicament. “You’re something else…I like you too.” He sighed still staring at the blanketed couch. “Are you sure you don’t remember anything?”

The shy teen hesitantly stuttered his way through his last memories of the night before. “I-I remember sitting on the picnic bench talking to you, and…an-and…y-you kinda…sort of…k-kissed me.”

Fili rubbed his eyes as the fog began to lift on that memory. 

“I think you…wanted me to know what it was like to kiss a guy.” Fili turned around slowly shaking his head at Ori trying to explain how he perceived their moment together.

“Yes, and no.” The blond stepped a little closer to his friend. “Yes, I wanted you to know what it was like to kiss a guy, and no. Not just any guy…” 

Ori swallowed hard still feeling a little woozy from his hangover. “Fili…”

“Ori, I don’t know if anything happened between us last night though it certainly looks like it, you have to understand something. It’s not that I don’t like you, because I do, but if I was sober I wouldn’t have slept with you like that. I don’t want you think I used you to get back at Kili. This is going to be hard for me. Kili and I have been together for a very long time, and I’m not ready to jump into a relationship with you just yet. I want to do this right. Do understand what I’m saying?”

Ori nodded though he didn’t really understand completely what his friend was implying until Fili wove his fingers up into his short ginger hair, wrapping his other arm around him pulling the nervous teen to him, he continued. “Because the next time I take you to my bed, I want us to remember it.”

Ori let out a little gasp as Fili’s words left Ori’s body tingling at the thought as his soft brown eyes looked to him in question. “The _next_ time?”

“Only if you want there to be a next time…” the blond responded by gently placing a kiss upon his friend’s soft lips. 

Knowing his gorgeous friend wasn’t teasing this time, and that he wanted him that way made his legs go weak standing there.

“Let’s go upstairs and I’ll get you a clean shirt so you won’t reek of alcohol when you go home.” Ori followed Fili back upstairs to his bedroom.

Kili was trying to find the will to get out of bed. When he finally stood up to go to a dresser to grab a shirt, he saw Tauriel’s purse lying on the floor where he had tossed it. He threw on a shirt from the dresser and had just picked up the purse as Fili and Ori started through the door, so he dropped it turning toward them.

Fili looked his brother up and down with resentment before opening the dresser drawer to pull out a clean shirt for himself and another one for Ori as the two quickly changed clothes discarding the dirty shirts on the floor.

Kili watched the two out of the corner of his eye. “Well, aren't you two so cute together? So are you like a couple now?” He spat sarcastically.

Fili was in no mood, and he snapped. It had been many years since the two of them had a fist fight, but he wasn’t going to listen to his unfaithful brother's mouth. 

“You fucking prick!” Fili punched him in the face sending him reeling backwards, he kicked the purse almost tripping on it. "You have no right to say anything!" 

As soon as Kili recovered, he ran after Fili and swung a fist at him as well. “Fuck you, Fili!”

Ori backed away as the two kept swinging at one another until Kili ran out of the room and down the stairs with Fili running after him as the two continued their fight near the front door. With nervous anxiety the teen watched his friends fiercly fighting one another. Completely taken aback, at their actions, he would have never fought with either of his brothers like that.

Frerin ran from the kitchen when he heard the commotion trying to quell the situation. “Stop it! Kili! Fili! Stop!” 

He tried his best to part them without getting punched himself in the process he shoved Kili into the wall, and grabbed Fili holding him away from his brother. “What’s gotten into to you two?”

Just as Dis started to descend the stairs to see what was going on, the doorbell rang followed by someone pounding on the door. 

Frerin let go of Fili to open the door. There were three policeman standing on the porch. “Can I help you?”

“We’re looking for Fili Durin.” The blond sobered rapidly standing nervously behind Frerin as he regarded the policemen. 

Frerin asked reaching back to put an arm around Fili pulling him forward to stand in front of him leaving his arm draped across his nephew’s chest. “What business do you have with Fili?”

“Is he here?” Fili stepped forward. 

One of the policemen reached out for him as he stated, “Fili Durin, you’re under arrest…”

Shocked and confused, Fili blurted out loudly trying to back away, “For what?” The policeman turned him around pulling back his wrists. 

Ori stepped out of Dis’s way as she ran down the stairs in a panic watching the officer placing handcuffs on her oldest son. “What’s going on?”

The policeman ignored her question as he told Fili why he was being arrested. “You are under arrest for breaking and entering, burglary, possession of a controlled substance, and...” The policeman rambled off the list of offenses pulling the frightened and confused teen out the door heading toward one of the awaiting police cars.

Dis was furious and filled with disbelief locking eyes with her son placing a hand over her mouth. “What? Fili!”

Fili gasped, his blue eyes looking terrified to his mother for help, struggling with the policeman pulling him along he screamed. “Mom! I swear I don’t know what they are talking about! I didn’t do anything!”

Watching his brother being pulled away, Kili looked just as afraid for him. “Mom! He didn’t do anything! I know Fili wouldn’t have done any of that!” 

As the younger boy started to run toward to his brother’s aid, Frerin snagged his arm. “No, Kili!”

“Frerin, do something!” Kili pleaded with his uncle, who wrapped his concerned nephew into his arms as the brunette buried his face against his chest.

“I don’t believe Fili would do such a thing either, Kee.” Frerin questioned one of the other policeman, “What makes you think Fili did what you’re accusing him of? What grounds do you have to arrest him?”

“Someone called in a tip so we had our drug dog search the school, and we found the drugs that were stolen from your neighbor’s home in Fili’s locker. I suggest you get a lawyer.” 

Ori followed everyone outside trying to wrap his mind around what was going on watching his friend sitting in the backseat of the police car shaking his head as it pulled away.

Kili pushed away from Frerin racing up the stairs to his bedroom as Dis wiped the tears from her eyes, she also ran back upstairs to her room. Ori felt very awkward standing there with Frerin not knowing what to do or say.

“Ori, gather up your stuff and I’ll drive you home.” Frerin put a reassuring hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Fili’s going to be okay.” 

Ori quietly went up to his friend's bedroom. Nervously entering the room knowing Kili was in there, he felt like he was walking into a lion’s den and he was going to be ripped to shreds any minute now. Instead he found the brunette lying on his bed sobbing into his pillow.

Feeling even more awkward now, Ori searched the room for his clothes and jacket. After he picked up his shirt, he scanned the floor looking for his jacket. Finding a small plastic bag with white powder in it lying on the floor near Kili’s bed, he used his better judgment not to pick it up or try to investigate further. His brow furrowed looking at Kili suspiciously.


	12. Where We Are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ori, Kili and Fili all know what they want and where they stand now.

Luckily Dori was at work when Frerin brought Ori home. Running passed Nori he went straight to his bedroom closing the door. Nori knew his brother well enough to know something wasn’t quite right.

Lying on his back on his bed, Ori stared at the ceiling wishing everything would stop spinning. With a quick knock on his door, Nori popped his head inside. 

“Are you alright?”

Knowing he could talk to this brother, he welcomed his company. 

“I need help.” The teen looked up to Nori, and he knew he could trust him not to say anything to their elder brother.

Nori sat on the bed next to him studying how he appeared first. “What's wrong? You’re not looking so good. I know this isn’t like you, but I’m not stupid. You were drinking last night, weren’t you?”

Ori sighed, and knew he couldn’t deny anything at this point. “Yeah. Please don’t say anything to Dori.”

“Of course I won’t. Are you kidding me? You’d never leave this house again if he found out.” Nori said it jokingly, but he really meant it.

Ori nodded as his brother stood from the bed. “Nori…a lot happened last night, and I don’t know who else to talk to. You’re the only one I trust.”

A vague smile tugged at the corner of Nori’s lips. He was a rebel teen, and though Ori was always the perfect child because Dori made him that way, he could see the changes in his younger brother happening little by little. 

“You can always trust me and come to me with anything, little bro. What happened that you need to talk about, hmm?” Sitting back on the bed, he combed his fingers through the teen’s messy hair to soothe him.

Ori spilled every detail to Nori, letting him know everything that happened he could remember. It felt good to be able to tell someone. Now he just hoped this stayed between them, and Nori would be able to help him or give him good advice.

“…And I don’t think Fili did what they arrested him for. I want to help him!”

Nori was shocked to hear his normally awkward, shy younger brother’s story. “I’m glad you trust me enough to tell me all that, and I’m glad you told me, but now you need to listen to me. Don’t get involved. I don’t mean to sound like Dori, but I’m starting to think you need some new friends.”

“Nori! I lo…like Fili…” 

Nori raised an eyebrow in question. “You like him? Because I heard, you _like_ him…”

“I do. A lot. More than a friend…”

 

Kili finally got himself together and thought he should clean up their room before his mother came in and found stuff. After picking up clothes and trash, two things became clear to him. Before he took a shower, he hid Tauriel’s purse under his bed replying to her text that he would take it to her in an hour or so.

Knocking on her front door, the brunette waited thinking over what he wanted to say to the girl. Tauriel was all smiles opening the door seeing her new boyfriend standing there, though he was not smiling. 

Kili handed her the purse, but wouldn’t let go. She tugged at it trying to free it from his grasp. “What are you doing?”

“There’s something in this purse you need to tell me about.” His dark eyes glared at the redhead waiting for an answer.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She jerked the purse from his hand.

“I think you do…and my brother just got arrested a few hours ago for something I’m pretty sure he didn’t do. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?” 

“Fili got arrested?” Tauriel gasped in shock, though Kili found her reaction to be rather fake.

“Yeah. He did. What’s that drug in your purse?” 

Without a word, Tauriel grabbed his wrist pulling him inside taking him upstairs to her bedroom. 

As soon as she closed her bedroom door, Kili began with the questions. “Tauriel, is that cocaine in that bag?” 

“Yes. What about it? Do you want to do some with me?”

Kili knew better. He had a problem with it in the past, and it wasn’t something he wanted to start again. He thought she knew about that, and was surprised she tempted him with it.

“No. You shouldn’t either.”

Changing the subject the redhead snaked her long fingers into his long dark locks enchanting him with sweet whispers across his lips as he looked into her green eyes. “We’re all alone. My parents won’t be back for at least another hour.” With soft little kisses to his lips, her other hand had already slid down his chest to cup the bulge in his jeans. “Make love to me Kili.” 

The mind and body of the teenaged boy quickly forgot about the drugs he was so concerned about with just one touch of her soft skin as his hands had worked their way under her sweater, they began kissing passionately. While they recklessly helped each other pull their clothing off never leaving their kiss, she guided him to her bed.

“Are you sure you and Legolas broke up?” Kili was already feeling guilty about cheating on Fili, he suddenly had a moment of morality thinking about his semi-friend.

“Yes, you were there when we had our fight over that girl at your party. He’s moved on...” Tauriel laid down on her bed as Kili crawled over her, she pulled him down to her. “…and so have I.”

Lost in the heat of the moment, right after the redheaded vixen climaxed, she breathlessly said, “Show me how much you love me.” The horny teen realized just before he was about to come, he had forgotten something very important. 

 

Dis had texted Thorin to let him know what was going on, so as soon as he and Bilbo arrived home from their weekend getaway he went straight to his sister’s house. She told him everything that happened and what little she knew. 

Thorin didn’t believe Fili was guilty of the charges any more than the rest of his family. He wanted to talk to his cousin Óin, but knew it wouldn’t do any good at this point. Even if Óin believed Fili was innocent, the police had evidence against him. The main thing right now was to pay bail to get his nephew out of jail, and back home where he belonged. 

 

Fili entered the kitchen with Thorin and his mother behind him. When he saw Kili standing there, he immediately turned away from him standing in front of his uncle. 

“Can I stay with you and Frerin?” Thorin looked at Dis. He had no idea why Fili didn’t want to be home with Kili, and she still didn’t know what was going on between them either.

“You’re always welcome to stay with us, Fili.” The blond ran upstairs to his room with his mother following.

“Fili? What’s going on with you and Kili? Why were you fighting this morning?” Dis tried to get some answers.

Throwing clothes in a bag his anxiety wouldn’t let him to stop moving, and he didn’t feel like talking. “It was nothing. We’re just being brothers.” 

His mother knew her sons too well to know there was much more he apparently wasn’t going to tell her. “I wish you would stay here while we work through this. Your brother needs you here too.”

“Mom, I feel like shit right now. I just want to get to Thorin’s house to sleep. I don’t want to talk about Kili, and it doesn’t matter where I am. I still have to deal with court, and I’m going to miss school because of this bullshit. Everything’s fucked up.” Looking past his mother he saw Kili standing in the doorway.

“I’m ready to go.” Picking up his bag he passed his mom and pushed Kili out of his way.

Dis grabbed Kili’s arm to keep him from following his brother. “What’s going on?”

“We’re not together anymore.” It was the simplest explanation he could give his mom.


	13. Some Light is Shed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ori finds more clues to what has happened.

Monday, November 10

Going back to school after the party and knowing Fili wouldn’t be there, Ori felt lost and alone as if it were the first day of school all over again. He adjusted his bowtie, and kept his head down being bounced about through the crowded hallway toward his locker.

Hurrying to put his jacket and backpack away he dropped some of his books. Gathering his things, he heard one friendly voice. 

“Hi Ori.” Standing up he smiled so happy to see Arwen. He still had one friend.

“Arwen! Do you want to walk with me to class?” She nodded and followed Ori to their first period world history class. “Do you think we could talk after school today? I could use a friend right now.”

“Absolutely! I’ll always have time for you Ori.” The two took their seats as Mr. Balin closed the door.

 

As lunchtime came around, Ori had forgot what a nightmare this was going to be. He couldn’t sit with Arwen because she always sat with her girlfriends, and he was too embarrassed to sit the Gondor brothers and Bard. Of course, sitting anywhere near Kili was out of the question now anyway.

Taking his brown paper bag and water bottle, he headed out into the hallway making his way to the janitor’s tiny office. He knocked on the door, as the man with the longer dark and gray hair looked up with a smile. 

Bifur motioned the boy into his office as he whispered. “No one’s out there are they?”

Ori shook his head. “No, all clear, you can talk to me.” 

“Good. So what’s on your mind, friend?” Bifur could read the look on the young one’s face, he was troubled again.

“I assume you know about the police finding the drugs in Fili’s locker?” Ori figured being the custodian he would have access to all the lockers.

The janitor nodded. “Yes. I was the one that opened his locker for the police.”

“I don’t believe Fili stole those drugs, and I don’t believe he put them in his locker. Even if he did have those drugs, he’s not stupid. He would’ve never put them in this locker.”

Bifur leaned back in his chair contemplating what his young friend was trying to say. 

“I think someone else put them there, and called in the tip to get him in trouble.” 

It all made sense to Bifur. Living across the street from the Durin’s, he had known Fili since the kid was born, and knew this was out of character for him. He obviously knew he smoked weed because he smoked at his house with his cousin, Bofur from time-to-time, but harder drugs was never something Fili would ever do.

“Who do you think would have done such a thing? Is there someone who would have a reason to set him up like that?”

Ori took a deep breath and thought hard about whose name he was about to say. “Kili…”

The shock on the janitor’s face worried him. “What makes you say that?”

Stuttering the ginger teen knew he was put on the spot to explain now. “Well, I-I found…the day after their party, I-I f…found a small bag of something near Kili’s bed. I guess I assumed he did something because those two weren’t getting along recently because Kili was falling for a girl and...”

Bifur leaned forward on his desk. “Do you realize what you’re accusing him of? Did you know Kili had a drug problem over a year ago?”

The teen did not know that. _‘What have I done?’_ He shrank in his chair thinking now that maybe those drugs he found in his friend’s bedroom were actually just Kili’s for personal use, and he just ratted him out.

“I have to be honest with you Ori, I’ve known Kili all his life too, and he would never do that to his brother for any reason.” Ori felt some relief knowing Bifur wouldn’t pursue any investigation on Kili. 

“You seem pretty sure Fili’s innocent, and you’ve giving me reason to think about it. I believe he’s innocent too. I think there is something I can do to solve this.”

 

After Ori left Bifur’s office, he stopped in the restroom before going to his art class. Just as he finished washing his hands, Azog and Gimli entered.

“Well, if it isn’t Fili’s little fucktoy.” Gimli smirked.

Ori began shaking feeling trapped by the two large guys. “Please leave me alone. I need to get to class.”

Azog poked the nervous teen in the chest hard pushing him back a step. “What’s your rush? Maybe we could have a little fun before class.” 

Ori’s heart raced as he saw Gimli lock the door. “No. What do you, why would you…”

Gimli joined Azog reaching out to run a couple fingers along the side of Ori’s face. “Fili wouldn’t mind sharing you since he won’t be around for a while, would he? He was always a good boy sharing his toys when we were kids.” Gimli laughed mischievously. 

Someone began pounding on the door, as the two bullies looked to one another. “Maybe we better go. The janitor might come unlock the door if someone reports it.”

Once the menace left the rattled teen, Ori could breathe again. He rushed out of the restroom getting to the safety of his classroom as fast as possible.

 

Frerin shut the classroom door right behind Ori running late to his class. The teacher watched the interaction between Ori and Kili closely as they sat next to one another. Neither one would acknowledge the other was there. Just as well, Frerin thought.

Since it was the beginning of the new term, the art teacher decided to give them a quick warm up assignment to be done in class that day. He wanted each of students to do a charcoal sketch of how they were feeling.

Kili was a talented artist, who always poured his heart and soul into his work because it was his way of expressing his feelings and Frerin knew it. He needed to know what was going on. 

By the end of the fifty minute class, the students left more quiet than usual. Kili was the last to go without so much as looking in Frerin’s direction as he left the classroom. Frerin went to Kili’s easel to checkout his nephew’s work. 

A chill ran through him, and lump formed in his throat. The sketch was of a human heart being torn and shredded in two by a female hand and a male hand on each side with teardrops scattered all over the sketch. “Oh, Kili…”

Then he looked to Ori’s work. It wasn’t as detailed as Kili’s, but it was simple and easy to understand. A boy with a hole in his chest was handing his heart to another boy with a beard and long curly hair.

Frerin shook his head with a sigh. It was all very clear without asking anyone, he knew exactly what was going on.

 

It was finally the last class of the day. As Ori went to sit at his desk, he couldn’t help feeling sad seeing Fili’s empty desk next to his. Lindir had been moved to sit on his other side away from Fili. He could feel him watching his every move almost like Fili used to do to him. 

“What do you want, Lindir?” Ori pushed his black frame glasses up without looking at the flirt.

“The other night, Fili gave me the impression you were kind of into me.”

Ori didn’t know Fili had even talked to Lindir at the party. “Nope.”

“Really? Because I told him I was interested in him, and he was blew me off pushing the idea I should talk to you. Said you liked me.”

Ori’s brow furrowed wondering if it was true. _‘Why would Fili do that if he was into me?’_

“I was about to look for you to talk to you, but then I saw some big guy taking you upstairs. So figured you were already _taken_.” The brown haired teen snickered.

“Big guy? What big guy took me upstairs?”

“I don’t know who he was, never saw him before. He was practically dragging you up the stairs. I figured you had too much to drink, and he was going to take advantage of you.” Lindir smirked.

“Lindir, this isn’t funny. What exactly did he look like?” Ori was very concerned now.

“You really don’t remember? He was tall, bald, sort of looked like Azog.” Lindir even sobered a bit noticing how upset Ori seemed to be with this enlightening news about himself.

 

Ori sat in Arwen’s living room with her as her beautiful grandmother brought them some tea. 

“Arwen, the other night at the party, did you happen to see me when a tall bald guy that apparently looks like Azog?”

The pretty dark haired girl thought about it for a moment before she answered. “Yes. It was really late, I was leaving when I saw him taking you upstairs.”

“You don’t know who he was?”

She shook her head. “No. Never saw him before. I figured you knew him. I said good-bye to you, but you never answered. I thought you must have been really out of it, and that’s why he was helping you upstairs.”

 

Frerin was lying back on the couch with his laptop when Fili walked in from the kitchen. “Did you eat anything?” He was concerned because when he stopped by home at lunchtime, Fili refused to eat and wouldn’t come downstairs to have dinner with him and Thorin.

“Some.” At first Fili sat in a chair staring at the blank television. Then like he used to do as a young child, he slid onto the floor and crawled to Frerin’s side. “Can I lay with you?”

Frerin hummed closing up his laptop putting it aside. “Hmm, anytime little lion.” 

The sad teen snuggled into his uncle’s side on the couch. Frerin didn’t care, and Fili thought he’d never grow out of how much he loved being so close to his uncle. Ever since their father died when they were young, Frerin was the male in their lives that always had a hug for them to make them feel safe and loved.

“Everything’s going to be alright, Fee. We all know you’re innocent.” Frerin pressed a little kiss into Fili’s soft curls.

“I know I’m innocent of the charges…I’m more upset over Kili. I still can’t believe he cheated on me with Tauriel.”

Frerin already knew Kili’s personal torment from the sketch he had drawn in class that day, now he had a name to go with the female hand in the sketch.

“He cheated on you?” Fili nodded. “You know…he is just now turning seventeen. I’m sure he’s still trying to find himself. He may not be going about it the right way, but don’t be too hard on him, Fee. I don’t think he ever meant to hurt you. It’s very possible he is just as upset with himself right now feeling torn and confused.”


	14. I Miss My Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ori talks to Kili, then he visits with Fili.

Wednesday, November 12 – 

Nori pulled away from the school taking Ori home from sword fighting class. Ori stared out the window watching some of the other kids going about their business. Sword fighting and school in general wasn’t as much fun without Fili around now.

“Nori? Could you take me to see Fili, please?” Ori wanted so much to tell Fili what he had learned about the guy Lindir and Arwen saw at the party.

Nori knew this was important to his brother so he took him straight to the Durin’s home, and parked on the street. “I’ll wait for you. Take your time.”

Ori knocked on the Durin’s front door and waited hoping for anyone but for Kili would answer. 

Kili opened the door. “What do you want?”

“Is…”

“Fili’s not here.”

“Wh…”

“He’s staying at Frerin and Thorin’s house.”

“Kili, I’m sorry.”

The brunette let out a calming breath as he held the door looking around trying to say something. “Can…if you go over there…could you tell Fili how much I miss him?”

“Of course.” Ori started to turn away when Kili stopped him.

“Ori…I have something I need to tell you and Fili.” Turning back Ori could see how deeply troubled Kili seemed to be. “I don’t believe you and Fili had sex the other night.”

This was good news indeed, but why Kili came to that conclusion was a mystery now. “That’s good, but why do think that?”

“When I was cleaning up our room, I realized the condom on the floor was mine, and the washcloth was one I used in the basement that night. We only have one washcloth like that, and Mom keeps that one in the basement, and I use different condoms than Fili.”

Ori was still confused. “So how did they get in your room?”

“I don’t know. It looks like someone tried to set you two up, and I don’t know why.” 

“I was told some big guy took me upstairs, but nobody knows who he is.” 

The two stood there contemplating the information they received from one another. “I’m sorry, Ori. I accused you and Fili of something you didn’t do.”

“Maybe you and Fili can…”

“No. I fucked up, but it doesn’t change anything. I’m with Tauriel now, and I’m sure Fili’s always going to resent me for cheating on him no matter what. Just tell my brother how much I miss him, please.”

As Ori started walking away, he heard the last thing Kili had to say before shutting the door. “Fili deserves to be with someone good like you, Ori. Take care of him.”

 

Ori told Nori he was going over to the other Durin’s home to visit Fili there, and Nori patiently waited some more watching his brother head off to the other house.

Thorin answered the door surprised to see Ori there. He invited him in and guided him to the family room where Fili was sleeping next to Frerin on the couch.

Frerin motioned for Ori to come kneel next to the couch as he tried to wake Fili. “Fili…wake up…Fee, you have company…” With a little nudge the sleepy blond woke up stretching a little before turning enough to see his friend literally right next to him.

In a split second, Fili fell off the couch wrapping his arms around Ori squeezing him tight knocking him to the floor feeling a flood of emotions overwhelm him. The tears spilled freely from his blue eyes as he held onto his friend.

“Ori! I’ve missed you so much!”

Just a little stunned by the teen’s reaction to him, Ori patted Fili on the back with his arms wrapped around the blond lying on top of him. “I missed you too, Fee.” 

Once Fili collected himself, the two sat up where they were on the floor. Frerin and Thorin left the room to give them privacy to talk.

Ori told Fili everything Kili said, everything he heard about the ‘big guy’, and though he was hesitant, he told him about the drugs he found in their bedroom.

“Oh fuck, Kili better not be doing coke again.” Fili always worried about his brother's past addiction. 

Ori shook his head. “Don’t say anything. I’m not sure it was his. If someone put that other stuff in the room, maybe the drugs came from them too. "Did you ever find out what drugs they found in your locker?”

“They said a couple different drugs were stolen, but they only found some kind of sedative in my locker. I can’t remember the name of it. What the fuck would I do with that?” He tried to joke about the absurdity of his predicament. Ori got a chuckle out it too, seeing Fili laugh again warmed his heart. He really did miss his friend. 

As the laughter dissipated Fili looked down at the tear in his jeans, he absently pulled at a loose thread. “Ori…can I kiss you?” He was afraid to look at the ginger teen, hoping he still liked him that way.

Ori sort of held his breath caught off guard by the question. Without an answer, he scooted on the floor moving closer to his friend, then leaned his face toward him indicating it was okay. 

Fili readily caught Ori’s lips and kissed him so needy. Ori had to slow him down though as their kiss was beginning to turn more passionate. “Sorry. I know my tongue ring freaks you out.”

Ori had been wondering for quite some time about that piercing, he just had to ask. “Why did you get that anyway? Does it make kissing better?”

Fili almost blushed at Ori’s naïveté. “Well, it does make kissing nice, but it was to make something else even more enjoyable for my partner.”

Ori had to think for a moment, but when he realized what he meant, he did blush with a little gasp. “Oh! Well…I-I guess I could see where that would feel…nice…”

Fili put an arm around him pulling back to him again. “Maybe someday you’ll find out how nice it is.” He kissed him again before letting go. “You better go. You said Nori’s waiting for you, and if you stay here much longer I might not be able to stop myself from doing more than just kiss you.” 

Ori really blushed pushing himself off the floor smiling at how cute Fili’s dimples were when he smiled at him. 

 

No matter how hard he tried, Fili couldn’t fall asleep. His mind wouldn’t stop thinking about everything. He was about to have an anxiety attack, when Frerin popped in to check on him.

“I can’t forgive Kili for what he’s done, but I miss him, Frerin.” His uncle laid on the bed next to him to hold his distraught nephew who had begun to cry once again. He worried his little one was going to go into depression if he didn’t do something about it soon.

“You need to go home and work things out together, Fili. You don’t have to be lovers again, just work things out so you can move forward as brothers.” 

Fili knew Frerin spoke from experience as he and Thorin had been in the same situation once, though neither one had cheated on the other. For them, it was just a mutual decision to end their relationship as lovers.

Thinking for a minute, Frerin suggested the best day for Fili to go home. “Why don’t you go home and surprise Kili on his birthday Saturday. I’m sure that would be the best gift he could ever ask for.”

 

And so it was. Feeling very sad and depressed waking up on his birthday, Kili didn’t even want to get out of bed. Upon seeing his mother opening his bedroom door, he tried to smile knowing she was coming in with a card and a gift, but the gift was more than he hoped for.

“Fili!” Kili ran from his bed like it was on fire to throw his arms around his brother, and hold him in the tightest embrace ever. The blond almost couldn’t breathe.

Fili didn’t need air, he had all he needed in his arms as did Kili. They were brothers, and no one could ever take that away from them.


	15. New Partners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part of the mystery is solved, and Fili and Ori satisfy each other for the first time.

Though Fili and Kili were very happy to be home together again, they had a lot to discuss. Fili asked Kili about the drugs, which lead him to explain the cocaine was Tauriel’s, and he promised not to do it again. They also discussed Kili’s relationship with the girl. Though Fili wasn’t comfortable with it, he accepted this was how it was going to be. He didn’t have to like it, he just had to accept it.

They also discussed Fili’s relationship with Ori. It was a very awkward thing for Kili to accept because he was his friend too, though they had never been as close as Fili was with the little bookworm. The brothers loved each other enough to let go of their past to allow themselves a fresh start with their new partners.

 

In time, Bifur was able to help the police clear the charges against Fili by reviewing the school’s security camera. The video showed an unknown boy putting the drugs into Fili’s locker after school hours, then meeting up with two students from the school afterwards. Azog and Gimli.

The two were forced to give up the name of the perpetrator. He was Azog’s cousin, Bolg a student from another school. The boys confessed to having dealings with Bolg, but their charges were minor in comparison. Bolg was the one who broke into Óin’s house and stole the drugs coincidentally on the same day Fili had skipped school, and he was the one who placed the drugs in Fili’s locker, though he was directed by Azog and Gimli.

Questions still linger about what happened at the boy’s party that night. They concluded Bolg was the ‘big guy’ a few people had seen at the house that night, though how that all happened as well as the set up in the bedroom was still unsolved. 

********* 

Kili had left with Tauriel to go Christmas shopping at the mall just before Dis left for work. Fili and Ori sat on the living room floor working on a project together for their creative writing class. They had been ‘official’ for almost a month now, so taking little breaks to kiss while doing homework together was the norm now, but Fili was getting a bit restless just kissing.

Running his fingers through Ori’s longer curls, Fili held his partner from moving away from him this time. “Ori, you have to stop pulling away from me.”

“I don’t want to have sex Fili.” Ori seemed to always pull away right when their kisses deepen.

Fili sat back in frustration rubbing his hands down his face. “Ori, I’m not trying to have sex with you. We’re just kissing, but you have to let go. Just relax and let things happen. There’s lots of things we can do. We don’t have to have penetration sex if that’s what you’re so afraid of. I get it.”

Ori had always been intimidated by Fili’s sexual prowess. He knew the eighteen year old was very sexually advanced for his age, and he was very much a virgin with zero knowledge.

“I’m sorry Fili. I’m just nervous and scared because I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“I’ll help you. Don’t be afraid. I promise I won’t do anything to hurt you. If I ever do something that make you uncomfortable, just tell me and we’ll work through it together. You have to trust me. I want to make you feel good. Sex in all forms is supposed to feel good.”

Ori nodded knowing what his partner was telling him was true, and he did trust him. “I am really sorry. Can we just kiss again?”

Fili didn’t want him to know how upset he was getting over the situation, but he had to be honest with him. 

“Ori…I haven’t had any kind of sex in almost two months. Kili and I had been having sex in some form almost every day since I was fourteen. I’m getting extremely frustrated, and taking care of myself is getting old fast. Why won’t you submit to me? Can't we do something?” 

The blond pushed himself up onto the couch coaxing Ori to join him, then he reached over to hold the ginger’s face pulling him to him a little more forcefully to claim his mouth sliding his tongue into his trying to arouse some desire in the virgin. 

“Touch me Ori.” Fili breathed in his ear as he continued to hold Ori in place with one hand while the other worked to undo the button and zipper of his own jeans.

The nervous teen thought he might pass out when he heard Fili's zipper going down. Ori’s chest began to heave with heavy breaths trying not to pull away as Fili kissed, nipped and sucked at his neck.

Fili pushed his jeans and underwear down enough to release his twitching, swollen cock much to his relief. He found Ori’s hand and brought it to him wrapping the virgin’s small hand around his large cock.

“Just stroke it like you do your own.” 

“I haven’t done that very much.” Maybe Ori was being a little too honest.

Fili sort of rolled his eye and sighed, “Oh God, Ori…” He kept his hand over Ori’s to help him work his hardened member. He reached down to knead his balls until they tightened bringing his hand back to help Ori keep up the rhythm pumping his cock with a firm grip. “Keep it up, Ori. I’m almost there…”

Ori couldn’t believe how hard he was from giving Fili a hand job. The blond moaned arching his back shoving his cock into Ori’s hand faster. “Oh fuck…faster Ori, it’s coming…” His hands held the ginger’s head as he kissed him deeply riding out his orgasm. 

With his hand covered in Fili’s warm seed, still holding onto his semi-hard cock, Ori didn’t know what to do next, and was afraid to ask as the blond relaxed back on the couch trying to regain normal breathing again. 

Fili barely lifting an eye lid peeked to see what Ori was doing. “Lick it off.” 

Ori froze. “I…uh…”

Fili burst out laughing knowing the reaction he was going to get. He sat up enough to pull his t-shirt off, and used it as a rag to clean themselves off.

“I wouldn’t do that to you…not yet, at least anyway.” He said with a cheeky smile and a wink flashing his tongue ring at him. “But, I’d do it for you.”

Ori blushed moving about trying to find a comfortable position to let his hard-on slowly go away, though Fili just brought it back. “Oh, I, you wouldn’t…”

“Come on, Ori! You just took care of me, let me make you feel good now. I’ll give you a blowjob you’ll never forget!” Ori had no doubt about that.

Lying back on the couch Ori shyly helped Fili take his jeans and underwear completely off. He felt so embarrassed lying there all exposed, he covered his face with his hands. 

“What’s the matter? Don’t be shy. You’re perfect. Not too big or too small, you’re just right.” Fili knelt between the nervous teen’s legs. “Just relax and go with it. I won’t hurt you, I promise it’ll feel great.”

With a quick lick from his balls to the tip of his cock, Ori’s breath hitched at the new sensation of Fili’s tongue on him. “Breathe, baby...”

Wrapping one hand around the base of his cock, he guided the head into this warm moist mouth while massaging his perineum with his other hand as he slowly worked his length deeper into his mouth. Ori groaned leaning his head back letting Fili send him into a euphoric state. Swirling his tongue around his length massaging his shaft with the silver ball the way he had learned how to do perfectly sent shivers through Ori’s body. 

Ori reached down to weave his fingers into Fili's soft golden curls as his experienced lover was fulfilling his promise. After several minutes of sucking and licking every inch of his balls and rock hard shaft, Fili knew right when he flicked his tongue across the head of his cock he would send his partner over the edge. 

Ori let out a guttural moan feeling so dirty, but so satisfied as Fili took him deep into his throat swallowing every bit of his cum. Ori couldn’t believe how amazingly hot and sexy that was. He was utterly spent lying there unable to move watching Fili sit up wiping his beard with is hand.

“Well…was it worth finally submitting to me?” Fili asked with a cocky grin.

“I’ll never doubt you or deny you anything, ever again…” Ori had truly fallen in love.


	16. Major Mistakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a new year with new challenges in store for these teens.

The Durin’s New Year’s Eve parties were always a fun, festive time for all. They always invited all their family, friends, and neighbors. Everyone was having a great time. A blanket of snow made for a beautiful night with the soft glow of the street lights and outdoor Christmas lights lit beneath the snow. With the snow still falling, it absorbed all sound, making for a quiet night away from the house filled with music and laughter.

Fili and Boromir were hiding along the side of the house smoking some weed when they heard giggling and laughter coming from the front of the house. Fili peeked around the corner of the garage to see who it was. Of course, it was Kili and Tauriel playing in the snow. The couple’s cuteness made him want to hurl.

Boromir knew from the look on his friend’s face who it was. “I can’t believe Kili’s still with her.”

“I’m trying to supportive, but it’s getting harder every day.” 

“It’s not just Tauriel, is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“You want Kili back.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“You two have the strangest relationship of anybody I’ve ever known or heard of, but it works for you. At least, it did.”

“Ori’s great an all, but I really miss Kili. I don’t know what to do. I can’t do anything really. Kili’s happy and I don’t want to hurt Ori.”

“You’re being honest with yourself, maybe you need to be honest with them.” 

 

Ori and Fili sat on the family room couch watching television. Reflecting on the past year, Ori stared at his boyfriend with adoring admiration. He never guessed several months ago, he would end up in a relationship with someone so opposite of himself giving him the confidence he never had before.

Kili and Tauriel entered the room holding hands as they walked past them stepping over Bofur lying on the floor in the middle of the room. 

Kili laughed at the old hippie. “I think Bofur's down for the count!”

Bofur surprised everyone by replying. “No he isn’t!”

Tauriel and Kili giggled like a couple pre-teens as they headed for the kitchen. 

“I need to get some air.” Fili grumbled pushing off the couch stepping over Ori’s feet between the couch and coffee table. “I’m going outside.”

“I’ll go with you.” Ori followed his partner out the back door to sit on the picnic table next to him after clearing some snow.

They sat there in silence for a long time before Ori worked up the nerve to say what was on his mind.

“Fili…I need to tell you something, but I’m so nervous…” The teen kept wringing each finger over and over again.

Fili snapped out of his deep thoughts to listen. “You can tell me anything, what is it?”

Ori kept doing that thing he did with his fingers when he wanted to say something he was extremely nervous about, not to mention his stutter. “I…I wanted t-to…tell you…” Holding his breath too long he thought he might pass out.

“What Ori? What do you want to tell me?”

“I love you.” It was the only way to get it out. Just say it.

Suddenly Fili couldn’t breathe, and he certainly didn’t know how to respond. This _really_ complicated his thoughts and feelings more than they were before he sat on this picnic table.

“No, Ori. You don’t love me. You can’t. It’s too soon to feel that way.” 

“But I do, and I-I’m ready to have _real_ sex with you.” It was so hard for him to say, but he meant it.

Leaning his arms on his knees, Fili was glad his long hair was covering his face from Ori’s vision. “Why?”

“You told me the first time I have sex, it should be with someone I love.” The serious tone told the blond his partner was speaking from the heart. He really was _in love_ with him. 

“I know what I said. Don’t confuse love with sex, Ori.” The mature eighteen year old tried to talk sense into the virgin.

“You don’t lov…” Before Ori could ask him how he felt, Faramir and Kili joined them much to Fili’s relief.

“Not interrupting anything are we?” Faramir asked slapping a hand on Ori's back.

Ori wanted to say yes, but Fili was quick to answer. “Not at all!”

“The girls disappeared, thought we’d see if you two would want to shoot some pool?” Kili's smile was all Fili needed as an invite.

“Boromir’s running the table. He’s already taken almost all of Frerin’s money.” Faramir laughed turning to open the back door.

“Sounds great! Come on, Ori!” Fili readily followed his friend and Kili back inside the house.

As the light snow continued to fall, Ori sat alone on the picnic table feeling _very_ alone. 

 

After about three rounds of pool, Éowyn and Tauriel joined the boys in the basement. Kili was playing against Boromir, when Tauriel slinked over to him brushing her fingers lightly across his back. Éowyn snuggled into Faramir’s arms, and whispered something in his ear before the two left the basement.

After Kili lost the game, Tauriel talked him into going outside with her again. Looking around, Fili and Boromir found themselves alone at the pool table while Frerin was passed out on the couch. 

“Where’d everybody go?” The tall teen scanned the room.

“Women…they ruin everything…” Fili scoffed.

“Where’s Ori?” Boromir just realized he hadn’t seen Fili's partner in a couple hours.

Fili shut his eyes and cursed himself before running up the stairs. “Oh shit, I forgot about him!...Ori!”

 

Standing on the front porch, Kili and Tauriel’s arms encircled one another with warm breath against chilled lips they gave each other sweet little kisses. Her green eyes sparkled as she brushed her fingers through his long dark locks. 

He could tell there was something she had been wanting to say to him all night. Finally, she found her moment.

“I have something I need to tell you. I wanted to find the perfect time. I’ve had such a great time with you tonight, and it’s so beautiful out here…”

Tipping his head in question. “What is it?”

“I’m pregnant, Kili…”


	17. Can't Be Happening

Fili searched the house for Ori, then looked out the back door when he couldn’t find him anywhere else in the house. He felt like the biggest loser in the world for treating Ori so badly. Lying on the family room couch with a sigh, he didn’t know what to do. Bofur sat up staring at the blond until the guilty teen acknowledged him.

“Yes, Bofur?”

“Nothing hurts more than being disappointed by the person you thought would never hurt you.” The old hippie slowly laid back flat on the floor as he had before.

Obviously he had spoken with Ori. “Did Ori say where he was going?”

“Walking home.”

 

Kili panicked. His mind raced and his heart was beating so fast he thought it was going to explode right out of his chest. 

“Please tell me this is a joke!”

Tauriel’s smile faded realizing this was quite a shock for her boyfriend. “No, I’m not joking. I’m going to have your baby.”

“Holy shit, Tauriel!” The brunette was shaking feeling very overwhelmed. “We…you…I…I can’t! We’re too young for this! No! No! This can't be happening!”

She tried to take his hands into hers, but he jerked away from her without another word he went straight to their car and drove away fishtailing all the way up the unplowed street.

Fili tried to run after his car he desperately wanted to use, but Kili was gone too fast. Returning up the driveway, panting from running through the snow after the car, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the redhead still standing on the front porch crying.

 _‘No, Fili…don’t go there. That’s Kili’s problem, not yours!’_ The blond told himself to steer clear of that drama.

 

Kili wasn’t that skilled in driving on snow as this was only his second winter behind the wheel. Once he was out of his neighborhood, he slowed down. Driving aimlessly through the small town, he saw someone trudging through the snow along the side of the road. As he got closer, he recognized him.

Kili rolled down the passenger window. “Ori? Get in!”

The sight of a familiar face was welcomed, as the wet and very cold teen hurried to the warmth and safety of Kili’s car.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to walk home.”

“Fili would have never let you walk home in the snow like this! What’s going on?” He knew his brother was protective of his family and friends, and there was no way he would’ve let his friend walk that far home especially on a night like this.

“No, he didn’t even know I left. That was the problem. I know he doesn’t want me around anymore.” Ori wanted to cry, but didn’t want to in front of Kili.

“What? That’s not true, he’s crazy about you!” 

The dejected teen mumbled. “He hasn’t missed me for a couple hours…why are you out here?”

Thinking fast Kili didn’t want to tell him the truth, but thought he could maybe help redeem Fili a little.

“Fili sent me to find you. He’s been getting high, and knew he couldn’t drive.”

Ori looked down at his cold hands lying in his lap. “Really?”

Kili gave Ori a reassuring smile. “Yeah. We don’t need to run away from our problems. Come on. Let’s go back.” 

 

Fili walked into the dining room where most of the guests were now, gathered around the dining room table playing cards. 

“Thorin, can I use your car?” Fili knew he screwed up, and all he wanted was to find his friend.

His eldest uncle looked up from the cards he held. “What for? Where’s your car?”

“Kili took our car, and Mom’s car is shit in the snow. I need to find Ori, please?”

“What do you mean, Ori? Where is he?” Thorin seemed concerned about the boy now.

“I don’t know, he left, and I need to find him.” Fili fidgeted with worry. 

Thorin had been drinking most of the night, but had quit hours ago so he offered himself to drive Fili.

Just as the two were about to go cross the street to get Thorin’s car, he saw Glóin rushing up the street toward his house.

“Where’re you going in such a hurry?” Thorin questioned his cousin who was never in a rush about doing anything.

Glóin shouted back. “I got a call from the station. There’s been a traffic fatality on Upper Ridge Road.”

Fili panicked looking into his uncle’s sapphire eyes fearing the worst. Thorin and Fili jumped in his SUV and headed out to Upper Ridge Road praying they were worrying for nothing. They knew they were getting closer to the accident when they saw the lights of the many emergency vehicles in the distance.

A traffic officer was directing vehicles through the open lane passed the accident in the opposite lane to slowly get by. They were about five cars back when Thorin and Fili both gasped, horrified at the sight of Fili’s unmistakable yellow Charger mangled with another totaled vehicle lying on its roof.


	18. I Do Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fili puts Dori in his place.

Seeing his mangled car, Fili could only think the worst as he escaped Thorin’s reach to jump out of the SUV and run toward the scene of the accident. Thorin pulled over watching Fili avoid being snagged by the policemen trying to stop him.

Running straight for the EMTs loading a body covered with a sheet, Fili lost it seeing the long brunette hair spilling over the edge of the gurney screaming his brother’s name. Thorin had quickly talked his way through the police letting him chasing after Fili. 

Thorin was able to grab his nephew before he got to the ambulance, and that’s when they heard a familiar voice calling their names.

Instantly their range of emotions went from one extreme to the other. Thorin and Fili hurried to Kili sitting up on a gurney being loaded into another ambulance. He asked the EMTs to let him see his family for a moment. 

“I’ve never been happier to see anyone in all my life!” Thorin got in a hug before Fili got ahold of him. Kili’s brother didn’t want to let go. He had no words to express what he was feeling at this very moment. 

“I’m alright, thanks to the airbags...Sorry about your car, Fee. It wasn’t my fault, I swear.” Kili’s sad doe eyes asked for forgiveness.

“Fuck that, I don’t care about the car! I’m just happy you’re alive Kili!”

“I just got a few cuts and bruises is all, but they’re taking us to the hospital to make sure we’re okay.” 

“Us?” 

As the snow fell lightly, Kili pointed across from where they were to a third ambulance. 

“Ori. He’s okay too, but he’s really shaken up. Go to him, Fee.” Fili’s heart dropped seeing Ori sitting on his gurney with his head hung feeling scared and all alone. “I told him you asked me to go look for him.”

Now Fili really felt like the biggest jerk in the world. “You’re the best, Kee.” He placed a kiss in his brother’s hair, and shuffled through the snow covered street across the way to see Ori.

Stepping inside the back of the ambulance, Ori looked up to see Fili coming to him. Hanging his head again, a few more tears fell as Fili gave him a light hug trying not to hurt him seeing his bandage arm. 

“I’m so sorry, Ori. I don’t know what else to say.”

“It’s alright. I know you don’t love me, but I know you care about me.” He gave his partner a quick glance before looking down again. “Fili, I’m sorry for walking away like I did. None of this would’ve happened if I would’ve just stayed there and talked to you. Kili wouldn’t have been out here looking for me, and that drunk driver wouldn’t have crashed into us.”

Fili knew that wasn’t completely a true statement. He had no idea why Kili was driving around out here, but thankful his brother covered for him telling Ori that’s why he was there though now his friend blamed himself for everything that happened.

“Dori’s going to freak out when he find out about this. You won’t have to worry about me being around anymore because I know he’s never going to let me come near you again.” Ori believed every word of what he was saying.

“Hey, don’t talk like that. He’ll understand it was an accident, and it wasn’t Kili’s fault it happened.” 

“I’m letting you go Fee. I’ve had a lot of time to think about us tonight, and I think it’s for the best if we’re not together anymore. I’m not stupid, I know you still love Kili.”

“Ori...”

“No, Fili. I’m not angry with you about it. Let’s face it, I’ve never been one of you. I don’t fit in with you and your friends, and you’ve never gotten over Kili, and you never will. I’ll be okay.” Looking up at the blond with those soft watery brown eyes, it broke Fili’s heart know how much he hurt his friend who just hours ago told him he loved him.

One of the EMTs let Fili know they had to go. It was an awkward moment for him, as he placed a hand on Ori’s shoulder before he left the vehicle. “You’re always going to be my friend no matter what, Ori. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

 

Dori paced the emergency room floor, worrying himself into a tizzy awaiting the ambulance bringing his brother. The more Nori tried to make him calm down, the worse he became. Upon arrival, they got to see Ori for a moment before he was rushed off for x-rays. Worst of his injuries was a gash on his arm that required no more than seven stitches.

Dori had only met Fili and Kili once in all the months they had been friends with Ori. When he spotted Fili out of the many people filling the emergency waiting room, he made a beeline straight for him.

“This is all your fault! Ori told me what happened and he said he tried to walk home because you upset him, and…”

Fili wasn’t going to stand there and let this pompous windbag excuse him of anything. “This is NOT my fault! Where the hell do you get off saying this is my fault? This wasn’t Kili’s fault either! They were hit by a drunk driver!”

“I didn’t want him to have anything to do with you and this relationship you supposedly had, but he insisted he was in love with you, and look what happened! You broke his heart! Ori wouldn’t be here if you would’ve treated him with respect!” Dori continued to pace shaky his finger at the angered blond.

“I won’t need to worry about him being around you and your troublesome brother any longer. I told him he is no longer to have anything to do with either of you! You’ve done nothing, but try to change him and turn him against me anyway!”

“I never tried to turn him against you! All I’ve ever done was try to help Ori! To help him grow up and make his own decisions, because he’s eighteen, Dori! Why are you trying to keep him perpetually eight years old?”

“I only want him to be safe!” Dori snapped defending himself.

“You can’t shelter him forever! When I first met him, he was scared of his own shadow, now look at him! He has way more confidence, and he’s opening up to trying new things instead of shying away from everything! He’s going to go off to college in less than a year, don’t you want him to be ready to take care of himself, and face life with confidence rather than fear?”

Dori’s gaping mouth slammed shut much to Nori’s surprise, Fili hit a nerve with the elder Ri brother. “Just because he might defy you, and go against something you deem what’s best for him, doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you. He’s trying to find himself, and not be what you’re trying to mold him into.”

Dori took in what this seemingly wise teen was saying. “You do care for him.”

“I do. I care enough about him to be honest with him, and let him know that I don’t love him the way he thinks he loves me. I did fall for him in the beginning, and I never meant to hurt him, but I know I’ll never love him the way he wants me to. He’s my very good friend that I care about very much, and I’ll do anything and everything I can to help him. I’ll always be there for him when he needs me.”

 

After a long night, everyone went home to get some much needed sleep and rest. Once Dis made sure Kili was comfortable in his bed, she left their room instructing Fili to take care of him if he needed anything. The only thing Kili needed was to feel his brother holding him as he fell asleep as they used to do, and Fili was more than willing to oblige. 

In the darkness lying there in the still silence of the night, Fili held Kili close to him as his brother quickly fell asleep from the pain medication he’d been given. Listening to every breath, the feel of every heartbeat, and the warmth of his body next to his own brought him peace. For all the peace of mind Fili needed to drift off to sleep, was knowing Kili was safe in his arms once more.


	19. Doing The Right Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fili finds out Kili's secret, and he and Ori get back together.

By noon the snowfall had at last come to an end. Kili was still sound asleep as Fili quietly slipped out of bed to go out and shovel snow. With much time to think while working out in the driveway alone, one of his many thoughts turned toward wanting another car. Knowing it may take some time before he received any money from insurance, he decided to buy a used car he could give to Kili when he was able to buy his new car.

As Fili finished clearing their driveway looking in the direction of their neighbor’s home, he got an idea. He also desperately wanted a job. Though his mother never wanted him to work during the school year, he was doing much better in his classes this year and he wanted to work. 

Éowyn’s older brother, Éomer owned a garage that he worked for during the summer. They worked primarily on Mustangs, and by chance Éomer had an older model Mustang parked in his driveway with 'for sale' written on the back glass. Fili was hopeful as he knocked on the Rohan’s door that Éomer was looking for help at his garage. 

A playful smile crossed Éowyn’s beautiful face as she opened the door seeing Fili there. “Hey Uncle Fili! What brings you here?”

The blond male looked around and behind himself before returning a quizzical look at the girl calling him uncle. “Why would you call me that?”

Instantly the girl knew Fili wasn’t aware of Kili and Tauriel’s situation, so she laughed trying to play it off. “Oh, I was just kidding! Are you here for Éomer?”

“Éowyn, is there something you know that I apparently do not?” This was out of character for her to joke with him out of the blue like that. 

She turned and called for her brother. “No Fee, I-I’ve been rather silly today, I was just joking with you! Really! Come on in, he’ll be here in a minute.” Running up the stairs, Éowyn disappeared hoping to avoid any more questions.

 

After returning home, Fili took a hot shower to warm up, then sat on his bed staring at Kili waiting patiently for him to wake up after many hours of sleep. Hearing Éowyn’s words calling him uncle over and over in his head became unsettling putting together the events of last night made thinking all was well a difficult task.

Kili began to stir a little, and slowly opened his eyes. Seeing Fili sitting on his bed across the room produced a little smile of contentment. Eventually he sat up stiffly rubbing his aching shoulder only to have Fili take over the job of massaging his shoulders for him. 

“Thanks Fee.” The brunette sighed feeling his brother’s strong hands minister some relief to his tense muscles.

“Anytime, Bro.” Fili continued to work his brother’s stiff muscles trying to find the right moment to ask the question he had been waiting hours to ask. "I bought an old Mustang from Éomer. I'm going to start working for him to pay it off. I plan on giving it to you once I get the insurance money to get my new car." 

Kili felt honored knowing how his selfless brother would do anything for him. "Wow. Thanks Fee. Umm, I think I'll be getting a job soon. I can pay you back for it." 

Gently combing his fingers through Kili's long hair, he found his moment. “Hey uh…why did you take off in the car last night?”

Kili just shook his head only now remembering himself what had led to his fateful car crash. “Tauriel and I had a fight, and I just needed to get away.”

“Really? Because I heard something. Are you sure there isn’t something you need to tell me?” Kili broke down sobbing into Fili's chest fisting his shirt, knowing he knew his secret though he hadn’t really been told yet.

“Oh God Fee, I don’t know what to do! I’m so scared! I don’t want to be a father! I’m only seventeen!”

Fili’s heart raced for his brother hearing what he feared was true. “Oh Kili…” He held his distraught brother rocking him like a child to comfort him the best he could. “No disrespect to her, but are you sure the baby is yours? Didn’t you use protection?”

“One time I didn’t.” The teen had been worried and kicking himself from the very moment he realized what mistake he had made. Forgetting protection even once is all it would take to change their lives forever.

“You need to tell Mom and Thorin so they can help you.” Shaking his head at his brother's mistake made in the heat of the moment, there wasn't anything he could do to help him at this point. “Kee…do you love her?”

There was a very long silence between them as Fili awaited an answer. “Not like I should.”

“What do you mean?”

“Not like someone that's about to have a baby with someone. We’re still kids ourselves! I don’t want this responsibility! How am I supposed to take care of her and a baby at my age?”

“Kili… _do you love her?_ ”

“Yes, but not enough to have a baby with her." Exhaling sharply trying to collect himself, Kili forced himself to come to term with his situation. "This is my fault, and I will do my best to take care of her. Mom raised us to be responsible for our actions. I don't want this, but it is what it is and I'll do I what I can to make it right. I made a mistake and I'll have to deal with it.”

It still wasn’t the answer Fili was hoping for, but he understood. Kili said he loved the girl, so it was best he didn’t add to his brother’s dilemma by telling him how he felt. Through it all he hoped he hadn't lost Ori as he was the only other person he had ever wanted to be with, and he needed him now more than ever. 

“I love you Kee. You know I’ll always support you, and be here for you when you need me.” Then Fili tried to lighten the mood. “Who knows, maybe I’ll make a good babysitter? You know, like Uncle Frerin was with us?”

Kili sniffed through the tears and snickered at the thought.

***********

Dori opened their front door to find Fili standing there looking rather smug. Reluctantly he invited the blond inside, and called for Ori leaving the two alone in the living room.

As soon as Dori was out of sight, Fili gave Ori a quick gentle hug. “I had to see you, and make sure you’re alright.” 

“I’m fine, just achy and sore. Thanks for checking on me, Fili.” Ori couldn’t bring himself to look at his friend as they took a seat on the couch. “How is Kili? Is he alright?”

“Yeah. He’s pretty sore and stiff, but he’s fine.” He saw the bandage on Ori’s arm again. “How’s your arm?”

“Sore. Seven stitches is all. It’s not much, but maybe I can tell people I was in a fight or something when I show off my scar.”

“You’re silly.” Fili grinned at Ori's wit.

“Hey, I really am sorry about last night. I should have tried to talk to you before I ran off.”

“I’m sorry too. You tried to be honest with me, and I ran away to avoid talking about us. That wasn’t fair to you.” Fili had plenty of time to think about his actions.

“Maybe telling you I love you was too soon, but it’s what I felt and wanted you to know. I was hoping you loved me too, but I know you’re really in love with Kili.”

“I’m not going to lie to you. There is a part of me that will never not love Kili that way. I do love you, just not exactly the same way you think you love me. Ori, it takes time to really know when you're truly _in love_ with someone.” The blond brushed his fingers through Ori's longer hair coaxing him to look into his sincere blue eyes.

“I understand. I’ve never been in a relationship before. You’ve always been so patient and kind with me, I couldn’t imagine feeling this way about anyone else.” Ori smiled knowing his friend had no intention of going away for good. “And Fili…I still really want to…you know…”

Fili had to think for a moment what Ori was referring to until clarity hit him when Ori placed a hand on his thigh. “Oh. Umm, really?”

“I want to show you how much I love you.” Ori wanted nothing more at this moment as his hand moved toward the swelling member trapped inside Fili's jeans.

Knowing Ori still wanted him that way, Fili gasped at his touch. He couldn't stop himself from wrapping his arms around Ori as he kissed him with all the passion he ever had before. If he couldn’t have Kili, he knew he wanted Ori, and he wanted him badly.

“Are you saying you still want to make love to me?” The thought of this virgin taking him was very arousing. He wanted to pull him down onto himself, and let the virgin have his way with him right here right now on this couch. 

“Yes, but we obviously can’t do it here with my brothers here.” Ori looked around making sure neither brother was around to see them or even hear this conversation.

“Well, this sucks…we can’t go to my house either because Mom doesn’t have to go to work and Kili’s there.” Fili tried hard to think of something, but nothing seemed right. “Hmm. It's alright. We should wait anyway. You're still pretty stiff and sore from the accident. Remember I said the next time I took you to my bed I wanted us both to remember it? I meant that. Let’s wait until we can have my house to ourselves and we’ll make your first time memorable, okay?”

In light of knowing Kili loved Tauriel, and they were going to have a baby, Fili knew it was time for him to let go of the notion he and Kili would ever be partners again. Though he may never love anyone with the same deep passion he loved his brother, he recognized his love for Ori and was ready to give their relationship another go. With going back to work, a fresh start with Ori, the remaining months of school until graduation, not to mention how much help and support Kili was going to be needing from him, the last twenty-four hours proved this new year was going to be filled with new and old challenges. 

Ori looked to this new year with much promise. Fili's confrontation with Dori gave Ori hope his brother would back off, and let him try to become who he wished to be. He was slowly transforming himself, not only seeing, but feeling some of the changes had begun to give him much need confidence though he still had a long way to go. He was ready to start his relationship over with Fili, and finish out this school year on a positive note. 


	20. In Need Of Defense

Thursday, January 22

Ori sat on the gymnasium floor watching his man spar with another student from their sword fighting class. Wishing he could be as muscular and strong as Fili, it seemed no matter how hard he tried lifting weights, his body just wasn’t going to let it happen. The enamored teen looked up to his partner, and wanted to be as strong and confident as he was in every way, not just physically.

After class, Fili walked with him to Ori’s blue car. Ori finally got his driver’s license and was of course a very careful driver, though Dori and Fili worried about him because he was sometimes too cautious. 

“Are you sure you’ll be okay driving home in the snow?” Fili’s protective nature wanted to make sure before he left his partner.

“I’m fine, Fili. You and Dori worry too much. I’ll take my time and I’ll get home safe, I promise.” Fili cocked an eyebrow. Taking his time was just as worrisome as driving too fast in the snow. 

“You know I have to get to work, but I’m sure Boromir would take you home if you want him to.”

“No. I can do this.” Ori didn’t want to admit he was a little nervous about the trek home, but he wanted to portray confidence and give himself a chance to prove he could do it.

The blond gave him a quick chaste kiss and shook his head with a grin. “I know you can. Call me when you get home, okay?”

Soon after Fili left, Ori sat in his car thinking about the drive home. Knowing it was going to take longer than usual to get home in the snow, he decided to go back into the school to use the restroom between the large and smaller gymnasiums. 

Hearing the shuffling of feet entering the room, and didn’t think anything of it until he heard the door lock and a familiar deep gruff voice speak to him. Hastily closing up his jeans, Ori tried to flee the restroom, but it was a small room and Azog was able to grab him before he could reach the door.

Gimli lightly ran his fingers across the frightened teen’s beard lining his jawline as Azog held him in place.

“Why are you doing this? You know I’ll tell Fili, and…”

“And what? Playing with his little toy will surely piss him off enough to come after me, and I want him to. I love watching him rage. I know my punk cousin will kick my ass for it, but hey! It’ll be worth it.”

In the past if anyone tried to beat up Ori or do anything to him, he would stay quiet and take it like they ordered, but not this time. He was not going to let these two touch him or harm him in any way. He screamed and shouted hoping anyone nearby would come to his rescue while he struggled trying his best to fight them off.

Kili and Bard were leaving their gym from archery practice when they heard the commotion coming from the restroom. Finding the door locked, Bard ran through the school searching for Bifur while Kili stood guard by the door listening. He felt helpless hearing it was Ori not being able to get inside to save him from his attackers.

Bifur and Bard made a hasty return as the janitor unlocked the door in a flash. Kili ran inside grabbing Gimli by the neck and throwing him against the wall while Azog released Ori and backed away. Gimli was suddenly terrified at the sight of the cousin he was way more afraid of. He feared Kili much more than Fili. Fili may have had the stronger and harder punch, but his younger cousin would fight recklessly unyielding until the unlucky victim of his beating was knocked senseless.

Bard and Bifur had to pull Kili off Gimli before he could damage him anymore than he already had in the fleeting moment he got ahold of him.

Ori couldn’t thank Kili enough, and begged him not to tell Fili, but that was not going to happen. As soon as Fili returned home from work, Kili told him about the incident. Fili was enraged with Gimli, but he was also upset with Ori for not telling him when he called him earlier.

As soon as Kili finished telling his story, Fili grabbed his coat heading for the door. Kili had to physically restrain his brother from going after their cousin. 

“Fili, it’s done! I beat the shit out him before Bard and Bifur could stop me, and I made sure Ori was alright before I let him leave. You don’t have to do this!”

“Ori’s _my_ boyfriend! I need to set Gimli straight about this shit! He needs to keep his hands off of him! I would do the same for you or any of my friends that bastard tried to hurt! Now get out of my way Kee!” Fili shoved Kili aside and huffed out the door slamming it behind him.

After Fili rang Gimli’s doorbell, he hid alongside of the door not to be seen through the peephole. As soon as the door opened, Fili’s fist connected with Gimli’s face sending him backwards bouncing off the wall. 

“Was it worth trying to touch Ori that way, you filthy fucking assclown?” Seeing his cousin’s bloodied face was all it took to make the blond feel better.

Gimli knew no matter what Fili did to him, he still knew how he could hurt his cousin without even touching him.

“Didn’t think you’d mind sharing your fucktoy, Fili. We all know that’s all he is to you!” Holding his apparent broken nose, Gimli laughed. 

“What are you trying to say, Gimli?” 

“Everybody knows you’re just using that scrawny little geek until Kili comes back to you…” His beady little eyes baited the blond. 

“That’s not true! I love Ori!” Fili was very indignant at what Gimli was trying to imply.

“Sure you do! We’ll see what happens when Kili comes crawling back to you after that spawn of his is born…”

 

Fili went straight to Ori’s house after leaving Gimli, and took him into his arms. Holding him protectively he pressed kiss into his hair. 

“I decided something for you Ori, and you cannot say no to my idea. I won’t allow it. Where is Nori?” 

Nori loved Fili’s suggestion, and the next day when Fili got home from work, the three of them went off to the local gym knowing Dori would be gone for work late into the evening. Nori and Fili were going to teach Ori how to fight, and defend himself. This was their little secret kept especially from Dori for now.

After that first night at the gym, Ori was a little sore using some muscles he wasn’t used to working. He took a shower before going to bed hoping the warm water would relax him. As he was drying off, he caught sight of his tattoo in the mirror. Letting out a sigh of satisfaction, he smiled feeling very good about himself. It amazed him how much one person, the right person could have such an impact on his life. Fili was the best thing that had ever happened to him.


	21. Watching Over My Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fili is feeling the need to watch over Kili to keep him from making more bad decisions, and Fili takes Ori to his bed as promised ;)

Thursday, January 29

Dis sat at the kitchen table with her laptop taking a moment for herself to do a little internet shopping. When Fili came home from school, he joined her at the table taking note of the webpage she had open. 

“Mom…baby stuff?” He said sarcastically. 

“Kili went with Tauriel to her doctor’s appointment today.”

“What are they doing? This is so stupid, it’s like they’re playing house.” He huffed.

“Fili.” His mother tried to shut him up. 

“Mom, seriously! Kili’s just a kid!” Fili raised his voice causing his mother to do the same.

“He has no choice, Fili!” Dis snapped in her own frustration over the situation, but rapidly quelled her tone. “He’s going to be father, he needs to support her by being there going to doctor’s appointments and whatever she needs. He has a job interview tomorrow. You got your new car now, and he has the Mustang to get to work." She rubbed her face with worry. "He really needs this job.”

Fili sat back in his chair rolling his eyes with a snort. 

“Fili, I expect you to be supportive of your brother. He needs you.”

“Of course. I've always watched out for Kili, Mom. I’ll always do what I can for him.”

 

Kili was sitting on his bed when Fili came in and threw his backpack down before sitting on the bed next to him leaning against the wall.

“Heard you went to the doctor with Tauriel today.”

“Yeah…got to hear the baby’s heartbeat.”

“That had to be pretty cool, huh?”

“Yeah, it was, but it made this all too real.”

“It is real, Kee. That was _your_ baby you were listening to.”

“Guess next time we go back to the doctor, we’ll get to see it.”

Kili just couldn’t get excited about any of this as he entwined his fingers with his brothers. 

“Can you imagine _me_ being a dad? I mean, come on…” He said with a little snicker. 

Honestly Fili couldn’t imagine it, and didn’t want to.

“I feel like I should be excited, but I’m too scared to be excited about anything.”

He leaned over to rest a head on the brother’s shoulder.

“It’s weird. Like I am excited to see my baby and I want to hold it, but then the reality of taking care of it scares the shit out of me.”

“Yeah. That's a lot of responsibility, Kee.” Fili really did feel bad for his predicament. 

“Mom did it at eighteen, but she was out of school by the time she had you. Oh, and she got married!”

Fili perked up with the one word. “You’re not thinking of getting married are you?”

Kili raised his head from his brother's shoulder to adamantly say, “NO! Absolutely NOT!” That was the furthest thing from the seventeen-year-old's mind at the moment. “I have a job interview tomorrow. I’ll do my part helping out with money and taking care of the kid, but I’m NOT going to marry her. NO WAY!”

 

The next day Kili had his job interview with Legolas’s father, Thranduil at his art studio. Kili wanted to be a graphic artist, but hadn’t had formal training yet. Thranduil was willing to work with him after seeing some of the pieces of art he brought to show him though. He was impressed with the young artist's talent, and hired him as a creative designer. To know he could create art, and get paid for it made him very happy. It's all he ever wanted to do. Art was his release even if he was told what to create.

Kili had made their spare bedroom his personal art studio over the years. When he needed to calm down or do some deep thinking, he could be found lost in his own world in that room. When Fili got home from work, he found Kili in his art room. He told Fili about the job interview, and how excited he was that Thranduil hired him. 

Fili looked at the drawing his talented brother had been working on. He was no art critic, and sometimes couldn’t figure out what his brother had created, but other times his work spoke louder than words. This work in progress already expressed sad emotional feelings that broke Fili’s heart. 

It wasn’t his best work, nor was it very creative. It was a perfect metaphor for his situation. It was an hourglass with himself trapped in the bottom trying to get out as Tauriel and a small child were pouring sand into the bottom from the top. 

“I hope Tauriel doesn’t see this. Even I can see what this drawing’s about. What’s going on Kee?”

“I got the job.” Kili continued to add more to his drawing.

“Great, but what’s going on in your head?” Fili walked around behind him studying the drawing.

The artist tossed his charcoal pencil into a tray. “I’ve never felt more trapped in my life.”

“I know you’re scared about the baby, but I thought you loved Tauriel. I thought you wanted to be with her.”

“I do, but Fee, you know this is only the second relationship I’ve ever been in. I’ll admit, I like being with a girl, but I never got the chance to date _other_ girls to know what I really want.” The brunette rubbed his face in frustration. 

“I get it.” Fili was relieved he didn't mention wanting to date other guys, but still felt a little hurt knowing he possibly wanted to date other girls. It was the reason their relationship fell apart. It had always been just the two of them, and the curiosity that peaked inside both of them to know what it was like to be with someone else is what tore them apart.

Kili sighed and tried to smile. “I’m taking Tauriel out for dinner to celebrate my new job, and then we’re going to a movie.”

 

It was the first time in weeks Fili was able to have the house to himself. As promised, he invited Ori over. Ori couldn’t relax knowing what they would be doing later on that evening. It was obvious from the moment he arrived, he wasn’t himself. Fili tried to be casual not mentioning their preconceived plans for this night offering him a beer. They talked while they drank a couple beers which did help Ori relax some, but _it_ was still on his mind.

As they sat on the family room couch, Fili took the almost empty beer bottle from Ori’s hand and sat it on the table before taking his face into his hands to brush a kiss ever so lightly across his partner’s lips. Ori felt as if he would melt at the slight touch. _‘How could one little kiss be so magical’_ He thought as it was enough to calm him and simultaneously arouse him. Their kissing deepen, and hands were exploring each other everywhere building themselves into a euphoric state. 

“Come on. I’m ready. Let’s go to my bed.” Fili breathed in Ori’s ear. Ori didn’t think he would be able to walk up the stairs due to his painful erection begging for release from the confines of his jeans, but he made it to the bedroom quickly undoing his zipper for relief.

Ori stood alongside of the bed as Fili shut the door and slowly walked toward him biting his lip seductively staring at him. “I’ve waited so long for this. You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted this.” Ori thought he would come in his briefs when Fili grabbed his ass pulling their groins together feeling his very large erection pressed against his.

“I want you so bad Ori.” Ori slipped his hand under Fili’s shirt touching his tight muscular abs while one of Fili’s hands cupped the back of Ori’s head holding him in a passionate kiss. With his other hand he held Ori’s ass tight, grinding against him. For a moment Ori was very relieved to know he was the one going to penetrate Fili for he was afraid Fili’s girth would not fit inside of him. Soon they hastily undressed one another making sure to kiss or touch somehow throughout the process as they did so.

Fili wanted to do everything to his virgin, but knew they weren’t going to have the house to themselves very long for everything he wanted to do to him. The effort was there though as he dropped to his knees he sucked Ori’s cock licking and massaging his length with his tongue ring the way Ori liked it. He even ran his tongue ring across Ori’s nipples a few times sending his body quivering. Pushing Ori down to his knees, he held his cock out for his partner to swallow him down for a few minutes as well. Teasing and bringing one another close to orgasm but not, only intensified their lust. 

Fili finally laid down onto the bed pulling Ori down onto himself. Their skin fully touching each other for the first time felt like fire to Ori. Fili was so very warm and with his strong arms wrapped around him, Ori already felt as if they were one. Their manhood slid together between them grinding against each other as Fili's strong hands moved restlessly about Ori’s body set him writhing with desire.

Ori had worked his fingers into Fili’s beautiful golden hair. He had forever wanted to touch those soft curls. For the first time, Ori tried to take the lead exploring his partner’s mouth with his tongue. Feeling his tongue ring excited him now, he was no longer nervous about it, he loved it. 

“Are you ready to take me Ori?” Fili reached for the nightstand.

Not sure what his partner was doing with the lube, he just nodded awaiting direction for he had no idea what to do. Fili instructed him to sit up and palm himself while he took care of opening himself for the virgin. Ori was amazed how erotic this was watching his partner fingering himself open for him. When he was ready, Fili helped Ori put the condom on properly. Even the feel of Fili’s fingers rolling the condom over his erection sent shivers down his spine. Ori couldn’t imagine what he was about to feel next as the blond coated his condom covered hard-on with a generous amount of lube.

Ori grasped his length at the base as Fili helped him align himself with his entrance. A moment of self-doubt shot through the virgin.

“Are you sure Fili?” The blond nodded without a word spreading his legs wider for him as he held his hips pulling him down toward him. Slowly Ori sank into his partner instinctively thrusting gently working himself deeper into him moaning from the sensation of the enveloping heat of his channel tightening around his cock. He really didn’t know what he was doing, but this felt so very right there was no way he was doing anything wrong.

Ori wasn’t as large as Kili, but he filled his partner nonetheless. Fili rocked his hips upward taking him into himself at an even pace raking the head of Ori’s length against his prostate every now and again moaning with pleasure hitting his sensitive spot. Then the virgin took over thrusting a little faster finding his own rhythm. 

Ori couldn’t believe the words that slipped out of his mouth to ask his beautiful blond. “Does my cock feel good inside of you?”

“Yes. It feels great. Keep it up.” Fili’s blue eyes opened to reveal how much they had darkened with lust. 

Wrapping his hand around his own hardened length, he began stroking himself. “Fuck me as hard as you want. Come inside me, Ori.” At first Ori was afraid to go too fast afraid he might hurt his partner, but was quickly reassured he liked it rough and it would feel good no matter how hard he took him.

“Look at me, Ori.” It felt awkward at first to look into Fili’s lust filled eyes, but once he did Ori was mesmerized. “Come for me…” Fili began breathing in short pants begging for completion. “Ori…come on baby…come for me…” Feeling Ori’s cock pulsing inside of him releasing his cum sent Fili over the edge as his own warm seed jetted across his tight abs between them. Ori’s arms felt weak as he collapsed onto the blond who held him tight riding out his own aftershocks. 

"That was the most incredible feeling I've ever had in my entire life." Ori confessed. He felt like dead weight to Fili as his body lay on him somewhat paralyzed.

Fili held his face to his own. "You were incredible, Ori. That was amazing." Ori smiled with relief he didn't disappointed Fili.

With the sound of voices coming from downstairs, the two quickly cleaned themselves up, and went down to the kitchen to see Kili and his girlfriend. Tauriel glowered at Fili and Ori with aversion. The feeling was mutual. The redhead shot Fili a bitchface, and Fili countered with his cocky smirk.

"Aren't you going to tell them, Kili?" She coaxed her boyfriend in a sweet sickening tone.

The brunette locked eyes with his brother as he stammered. "We're, uh...uh..." he just couldn't bring himself to say it.

Tauriel blurted out braggingly. "We're getting married!" She stepped up in front of the blond. "Isn't that wonderful, Fili? I'm going to be your new sister."

Fili was seething. "And I'm going to be your worst fucking nightmare if you think my brother's going marry you, bitch!" Kili stepped in between his girlfriend and brother to part them.

"Hey come one guys! Don't do this now! Come on Tauriel, let's go downstairs." Kili took Tauriel by the arm leading her toward the doorway to the basement, looking back only for a moment to see the glaring irate stare he was receiving from his brother.

Ori was afraid to do or say anything as the intense anger radiated from his boyfriend. 


	22. Ori Gets Attention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sword fighting match, Lindir tries to flirt with Ori again, and Ori get a piercing, while Fili gets two new piercings and enlightened about something at the same time.

Thursday, February 12

Dwalin decided it would be a good idea to have a match for his sword fighting students to show off their skills for their families and friends so they could see what they have been working on for many months now.

Most of the spectators were family, but the invitation to watch was sent out to the school so there were quite a few curious students who stopped by after school to watch. There wasn’t a lot of people, but it was enough to make them all a little uneasy.

Dwalin gathered the students of his sword fighting class and started pairing partners for the match. They had no idea ahead of time who they would be paired against. As he went through the list of names pairing them, one pair stood out.

“Ori and…Boromir.” The entire class looked at Dwalin like he had lost his mind.

“Umm, Dwalin?” Raising a hand Ori hesitantly questioned their large instructor. “Are you sure you meant to pair me with Boromir?”

“That’s what I said, didn’t I? Go sit down and wait your turn!” Dwalin bellowed then looked back at his roster calling out the remaining pairs while Ori and Boromir sat quietly together.

Ori started his finger wringing nervously awaiting their turn. Out of the corner of his eye, Boromir watched his match partner fidget. Neither one of them could figure out why Dwalin had paired the best and the worst in the class together. Ori anxiously watched as Faramir, Fili and even Éowyn win their matches against their opponents. 

Dwalin called his odd couple pair last. Beads of sweat were forming under Ori’s leather hand grips as his grip on the sword tightened. _‘What the hell was Dwalin thinking?’_ The smaller swordsman checked his protective gear one last time. 

The two stood on their marks waiting for Dwalin to give the signal to begin fixing their helmets. Ori glanced in Dori and Nori’s direction only once. Dori made sure he was there is see what this sword fighting was all about. 

“Don’t kill me.” Ori quietly pleaded with his large friend. Boromir was torn with this whole deal. He wanted to do his best, but he didn’t want to hurt Ori either.

When Dwalin gave the signal they two opened with the usual hits. Hit after hit, blocking, ducking, spinning around and jabbing with the dull swords, they both were going for it. Ori surprised Boromir by catching all his special techniques blocking every hit, and then it happened.

Ori had a few secret moves of his own. Dwalin had never seen him use those move before either. Catching Boromir completely off-guard, the few hits Ori got in on him threw off his rhythm and before he knew it, Ori had won the match. 

Fili looked to the bleachers finding Nori. Nori gave a nod of acknowledgement as the two smiled. They were the only ones that new how Ori was able to pull off his secret moves. 

At first neither Boromir nor Ori could believe what just happened, but the Gondor brother stood up and shook Ori’s hand. “That’s was awesome, Ori! This was the best match I’ve ever fought!” Slapping the winner on the back Ori fell forward a few steps from the impact from his friend.

“Thanks! I’m not sure how I did it though!” Ori looked for Dori, and felt very accomplished as his brother was actually clapping and smiling for him. Though he still didn’t totaling approve of the whole fighting thing, he was proud to see Ori could do it, and be safe about it.

Friday, February 13

Feeling in a rather good mood, Fili sat down at the lunch table with Ori and immediately started rambling on about piercings. “Ori, I’ve been thinking. I’ve been wanting to get another piercing. Why don’t you go with me and get your first. What do you say?”

“No, Fili. I told you a long time ago there’s no way I want anybody poking holes through my body! That would hurt too much!”

“It only hurts like a pinch for a second, then maybe a little sore for a short while and your fine!”

“I don’t know…where would I get a piercing anyway? I certainly don’t want my tongue pierced like you!”

Fili laughed. “Nah, nothing like that.” He pointed to his own nose and eyebrow piercings. “Something simple like your nose or eyebrow? Kili got his nose pierced when he turned sixteen. It wasn’t that bad.”

“I don’t want anything I can’t hide.” 

A mischievous smile curled Fili’s lips. “I know just the thing then…”

Ori looked down at his crotch. “Oh. No! No, no, no, no that’s _never_ going to happen!” He shook his head vehemently. 

“Not that, Ori! I wouldn’t even do that…well…” Actually Fili never gave that much thought. “Maybe…but no! That’s not what I meant. Just come with me and we’ll figure out something for you.”

They walked out into the hallway and leaned against the lockers waiting for it to be time to head off to their next class after lunch. Fili's good mood faded instantly seeing Tauriel heading down the hall toward them. 

As she passed by without so much as a quick glance, Fili couldn’t help himself from making a remark that obviously hit a nerve. “She must be having twins, Ori. Did you see how fat she is already?”

The redhead spun around without missing a beat. “Yes, I’m getting big! Maybe it is twins! So what? Your brother did this me, and he’s paying for it now, what’s it to you?”

Fili really didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything at all letting the snake be on her way. The least he had to say to her the better.

 

When Ori sat down at his desk in their creative writing class, once again he felt Lindir’s gaze. “What?”

“I saw your sword fighting match yesterday. That’s was awesome, and the way you beat Boromir…that was so hot.” 

Ori would have blushed if he hadn't laughed first. “Hot? Really?”

“Fili was looking especially fine out there too.” He leaned over to sneak a peek at the blond sitting on the other side of Ori. “Hey Ori…do you think maybe we could have a threesome?”

Ori’s mouth dropped opened exasperated at the audacity of this guy. “What? I mean, don’t repeat that! Oh my God, I can’t believe you just said that!”

“Just a thought. Never hurts to ask.” He gave Ori a sly wink.

 

The next morning Fili got up, started some coffee, took a shower and went back to their room to grab some clothes. Kili was sitting up on his bed watching him move about the room as if he wasn’t there. Just before Fili could get through the door, he stopped him.

“Are you ever going to speak to me again?” Fili couldn’t force himself to look at Kili to answer.

“Maybe someday when you grow a pair.” It hurt to much to watch his brother being manipulated by that she-devil.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kili really felt insulted.

“You want to act like an adult, then be a man and stand up to Tauriel. She’s going to ruin your life.” Fili ran down the stairs before Kili could say another word to him. 

 

Fili picked up Ori so the two could go to the same place they go their tattoos to get their piercings. There must have been something special about Ori for the girl to remember, but the female tattoo artist remembered Ori when he walked in.

She walked right over to him and gave him a friendly hug. “Hey! It’s so good to see you again! Wow, look at you! No glasses, you’ve got a beard and your hair’s gotten so long, you look great!" Ori looked down blushing that she remembered him at all. "So, are you here for another tattoo?”

Fili smiled at the personal treatment his boyfriend was receiving. “We’re both here to get a piercing.”

“Great! Where or what are you wanting done?” The girl with the candy apple red hair looked at each of them waiting for an answer.

Ori’s shyness momentarily returned around his bubbly artist friend. “I’m not sure what I want yet.”

“Ori…” Fili looked his partner. They had already discussed it, and they were going to do this together. “We’re both getting nipple piercings.”

With her little pixie grin she put Ori at ease. "It'll be alright." She knew if she gave Ori much time to think about it he would probably back out altogether. “Let’s go back here.” She led them to another room.

Getting both clients situated and comfortable, she asked another artist that did piercings to help her. Before doing anything, Ori made it clear he only wanted one piercing, where Fili was doing both. 

The other female artist that came in to help had to lean over Fili’s chair to grab some gloves from the shelf behind his chair, and when she did she got rather close to him. When she sat down on her chair next to him, her crystal blue eyes caught his. 

Fili had never, ever been attracted to females. Ever. But for a strange moment, he had this overwhelming feeling to kiss her. She smelled like a fresh spring meadow of flowers, and the way her long dark hair had brushed his face as she leaned over him sent a feeling straight to his groin. _‘Kili may be wrong about Tauriel, but there might be something to this liking girls thing.’_

Suddenly he snapped out of it. He and Ori were sitting close enough together that he put out a hand to Ori. “You can hold my hand, if you want.”

The girl with the red hair smiled at how sweet the gesture was his friend offered. “That’s a true friend.”

“He’s my boyfriend.” Ori gushed looking over at his partner.

The female about to pierce Fili sobered a bit with the new information this really hot guy was gay and had a boyfriend. The girls counted and did their piercings at the same time. Ori almost broke Fili's hand but, he did much better than he expected of himself. At least he didn't pass out like he did with the tattoo.

Once Fili had gotten his second piercings, they both laid there for a few minutes to make sure they were alright before they got up to move around. Fili gave the red haired girl his card to pay for their services while they laid there. The other girl gave them care instructions, and answered Ori’s numerous questions.

When it was time to get them up, the red haired girl gave Ori another friendly hug, and the girl helping Fili slipped a business card into his hand. “Call me if you need _anything._ ” Fili swallowed hard, and thanked them both before taking Ori by the hand leaving the shop. Flipping the card up, he checked it out as he was about to get into the car. The girl had written her name and cell phone number on the backside of the business card. _‘Eden’_

 

Lying in his bed in the dark bedroom, Fili stirred awake when he heard Kili come into their room. He waited until he knew his brother was settled in before he spoke to him.

“Kee…I’m sorry.”

The brunette wasn’t sure he heard correctly, or if he did why Fili was saying he was sorry. “ _You’re_ sorry? For what?”

“Doubting any reason why you decided you like girls…”


	23. What Are We Doing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ori becomes suspicious of Fili and Kili's relationship with some prompting from Lindir.

Wednesday, February 25

Mr. Balin had just finished going over instructions for the student’s new class project when Ori overheard Azog sitting behind him asking Tauriel questions about the assignment.

“Oh for the love of…were you sleeping or something?” The redhead was very irritated with the big brute.

“Come on, just make a copy of your notes for me.” Azog begged the girl.

When Tauriel wouldn’t comply, he reached over to her desk to grab her paper her notes were written on. She smacked his hand causing him to grab her arm.

Ori bolted out of his chair and leaned his face into the shocked bullies face. “Let go of her!”

Mr. Balin walked over to see what the commotion was about. “What’s going on here?”

Ori immediately spewed every last detail to their teacher about what had just transpired. Azog was not only pissed off, he was shocked the once meek bookworm had enough guts to confront him like that.

After Azog was sent to the principal’s office, Tauriel gratefully thanked Ori. “Ori, I don’t know if what you just did was brave or stupid, but thank you.” 

Ori would take that as a compliment, and he wasn’t sure why he even stood up for her. It just happened. Arwen certainly took notice as she look proud of her little friend. No matter how long he would ever know Arwen, she could turn him bashful in a heartbeat with that sweet smile.

 

Kili hadn’t been sitting at the lunch table with his brother and their friends since he and Tauriel hooked up. He and Tauriel sat a table by themselves next to the other girls. Most of the time, Fili couldn’t see them from where he sat, but he certainly knew exactly where Kili was when he heard him yell something echoing in the cafeteria. Before he knew it, his brooding brother came storming toward him and grabbed his arm dragging him out the door toward his car. 

“What the fuck are you doing?” Fili never knew what to make of his brother, and it had gotten worse since he had been with Tauriel.

“I had to get out of there.” The obviously annoyed brunette stated.

“And you had to take me with you?” The blond was still resisting being pulled along.

“Don’t you have any weed?” 

“Come on, Kee, you don’t need that.”

“Yes, I do! I don’t have any, and I want some, I thought you’d have some!”

“I do, but…”

“Get high with me, Fee. We haven’t smoked together in a long time.” 

Sitting in Fili’s car, Kili rolled a joint for them. The blond shook his head as Kili lit it up.

“I’m not smoking.” Kili pouted giving Fili his sad puppy dog eyes he knew his brother couldn't resist. “Shit, give it to me. I’ll shotgun you, but I’m not smoking. I’d be worthless the rest of the day.”

Bringing their lips together gave them both feelings for each other they hadn’t felt in a long time even if this wasn't a kiss. 

“Is that good?” The blond asked pulling back.

“Yeah. I’m good. Thanks.” Kili exhaled feeling relaxed at last. 

“So what’s going on with Tauriel?” Fili really didn't care, he only wanted to seem concerned.

“She’s driving me insane!” The brunette's anxiety returned thinking about his girlfriend.

“What did she do now?” Rolling his eyes and leaning back against the car door, he could only imagine.

“She had been begging me to go with her to the doctor’s for the ultrasound, and now that I said I want to go she’s refusing to let me go! I can win!” The young father-to-be was exasperated.

“It’s your baby too, you should be allowed to go if you want to. Just tell her you’re going and that’s that!”

 

Ori had just finished putting a couple books and folders in his backpack when he felt a hand run across his back. A little shiver ran through him thinking it was Fili who would normally be waiting for him by now. He had been dreading seeing his boyfriend since he followed him and his brother to his car at lunch just in time to see them kissing, or so he thought they were.

“You’ve gotten much more muscular since I first met you.” Ori spun around now realizing this was not Fili. “You used to be really cute, now you’re rather hot.”

“Lindir, what are you doing?”

“I’d like to take you out sometime.”

“I-I’m with Fili. You know that.”

“He is delicious, but don’t you want some variety?”

Lindir was insatiable. Ori had been attracted to him from the first day he arrived at their school, but he had always been cautious of him.

“No. I-I’m happy with Fili. I don’t need anyone else.”

“You know, I don’t really know Fili and Kili’s situation, but did it ever cross your mind that they live in the same house together? They may even share a bedroom.” Ori knew they did. “They are there in that house together all the time. Didn’t you ever think for a second they could still be _together_ and you’d never know it?”

No, Ori never thought about that until now. 

“They could be leading you and Tauriel on by day, and screwing each other by night.” Lindir painted quite the picture for him.

Ori’s throat went dry at the thought. 

“Just saying.” The tall dark haired teen gave him a sexy look and sort of strutted away. “Let me know if you’d like to get together sometime.”

 

Thursday, February 26

With Ori driving now, Nori convinced Dori it was time Ori had a cell phone which Ori gladly offered to help pay for. Dori wouldn’t allow him to get a real job, so for the past few years, Ori earned money from tutoring students, and he also fixed computers at home. 

This first thing he did with his phone was call Fili, and send him a selfie. Unfortunately, he started texting his boyfriend a little too much keeping tabs on him.

“Ori…just because you have unlimited text, doesn’t mean you have to text me every five minutes of the day…and night.” Fili tried to be understanding that this cell phone was a new toy for his boyfriend.

“I’m sorry. I’ve never had a phone and I like being able to talk to you whenever I feel like it.” Ori liked feeling connected to him.

“And you feel like talking to me twenty-four-seven?” The blond was a bit overwhelmed with the consent texts.

“Sorry.” The ginger teen shrugged his shoulders.

“What was that text at 1am all about? You should’ve been asleep, you woke me up!” Ori's boyfriend was mostly perturbed by the late night text he received.

Ori didn’t want to tell him why he really did it. For some reason he thought if Fili was sleeping with Kili it would remind him of himself, and make him feel guilty about it. “I’m sorry, Fee. I woke up and was thinking about you. Just wanted to let you know that.”

 

During lunch Fili and Ori were hanging out at Ori’s locker. Fili had his arm around Ori leaning against the lockers when Kili walked by with Tauriel. Call it an old habit, or maybe he was up to something, Fili gave Kili a seductive flirty look showing off his tongue ring before quickly licking his lips.

Ori saw Kili’s shocked expression, and knew Fili had done something. “What did you just do?”

“What do you mean?” Fili played innocent.

“The look on Kili’s face made me think you did something.” Ori knew better.

“I did.”

“What? Where you flirting with him?”

Fili couldn’t help being smart with him. “Just like I used to flirt with you when I was with him. Want to go to the car?”

Before the boys left Fili’s car, Ori had some confessing to do, as did Fili.

“Fili, someone said something to me the other day that gave me something to think about.” His soft brown eyes seemed apologetic for what he was about to ask. “Are you and Kili…sleeping together?”

Fili immediately took that the wrong way. “Why would you even think that? I won’t cheat on you, I know what that feels like!”

“No…I didn’t really mean that. I meant, just sleep together.”

“I’ve only slept with him once since we broke up. The night of the car wreck and that was only to comfort him. Don’t think I’d ever cheat on you.”

Ori had to ask for it had been eating at him for the past couple days. “Yesterday when Kili took you out to your car at lunchtime, I followed you…I…I saw you kiss him.”

Fili’s snicker turned into a laugh. “I wasn’t kissing him, Ori.” After he explained what they were doing, Ori felt rather ignorant and apologized for not only spying on them, but thinking the worst of them.

“You want me to be honest, I’ll be honest with you. The girl that did my piercing flirted with me, and for a moment I was very attracted to her. That was the first time ever I felt like that around a girl. For the first time, I could actually understand how Kili was taken in by a girl. But, I know I don’t like girls. Eden gave me her number, and I tore it up. That’s as close to cheating on you as I gotten since we’ve been together, I swear.”

“Thanks for being honest with me. I trust you.” Fili almost felt bad for what he was up to. He hadn't lied to Ori, he hadn't cheated on him...yet.

“Can I trust you?” Ori just tipped his head. Strange thing for him to be asked such a question, he thought.

 

After school, Ori was running late to meet with another student he was going to tutor in the science lab. Literally running down a hallway, he made a sudden stop as he rounded the corner into another hallway when he saw a strange pair. Though he couldn’t hear the conversation, he could tell from what he saw there was definitely something going on here, and what he saw could change everything for a lot of people.

 

Kili walked straight into the kitchen, and upon seeing his brother he hit him in the chest as hard as he could shoving him with both hands. Fili laughed as he stumbled backwards hitting the counter hard.

“What the hell was that all about?” Kili was incensed. 

Though Fili knew why Kili was upset, he played it off. “What? What’re you talking?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about!” The younger brother didn’t appreciate being played.

Fili snickered and stared at him with a smirk. “I was just flirting with you like I used to do with Ori when we were together. It gets him all jealous and wound up too.”

“It’s not flirting! It’s teasing!” Kili shouted.

Fili countered in a stern serious tone pointing a finger at his brother. “It’s only teasing if it’s something you want that you can’t have!”

Kili didn’t know what to say standing there gaping before he considered that statement in how true it was.

Fili became very serious. “Kili, I have a question for you, and I want an honest answer…Do you love Tauriel?”

“I told you, not enough to…”

The blond cut him off. He was tired of the nonsense, and wanted straight answers. “Not that bullshit answer again, Kee. I want the truth this time! Yes or no. Do you love her?”

Kili wavered for a moment, but answered honestly. “No.”

“Now I have one last question for you, and I swear I will never ask this again. It is the most important thing I'll ever ask you, so answer me honestly in truth and from the heart. Do you love me? And I don’t mean as a brother…”

This really was the moment of truth, as their future hinged on Kili’s answer. “Yes. Fili, you have no idea how many nights I’ve watched you sleeping wanting to climb into bed with you and claim you.”

“Yes. I do. Because I’ve done the same so many nights, Kee.” Fili raked his fingers into his brother’s long dark locks. “I love you, Kili.”

The brunette started to tear up as he also brushed his fingers into his brother’s thick blond curls pulling their foreheads together. “I love you too, Fee.”

They both moved in sync to press their lips together. It was the first kiss they had share in months, and the fire that built between rose as that simple kiss turned to many building passionately until lust had taken them both leaving them breathless. 

“I want you, Kee.”

“I want you too, Fili.”

“What are we going to do?”

“What do you mean?”

“Tauriel and Ori?”


	24. Cheating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Legolas gives Kili something to think about & Ori moves on.

Kili loved his job and working for Thranduil. Being in his own little studio there he felt as if it was the only place on earth right now he could find peace for himself. With warm lighting and quiet decorative waterfalls, he wished he could live there in the serenity he felt being in this room.

Legolas stopped by his father’s business to drop off something to him, so he thought he’d check in on Kili. 

“How’s it going?” Legolas walked around behind him to see what he was working on.

“Hey, it’s going good. Your dad is great. I love working here.” The artist meant that in every way.

“You’re really good! I never got into the whole art thing. I think Dad was disappointed, but I wasn’t any good at it.” The blond wandered around the room looking at the art hanging on the walls. “Hey, uh, Kee…we never really talked much after Tauriel and I broke up, and she started going out with you.”

Without replying, Kili raised an eye from his work to watch Legolas walking around the room in front of him as he stopped here and there to study a picture on the wall.

“It seems a little too late to warn you now, but Tauriel cheated on me…more than once.” He glanced back to see those dark eyes following him. “I like you, Kili. Don’t let her get away with anything. She’s extremely manipulative, and always gets what she wants…”

 

“Arwen, I know you’re friends with Tauriel, so don’t think I’m trying to get you to give up any secrets she may have, but…do you know if she’s cheating on Kili?” Ori didn't like putting his friend on the spot, but he needed to know. 

The dark haired beauty furrowed her brow. “No, I don’t know. I know she’s obsessed with him, so I doubt she would ever cheat on him. Why would you ask that?”

“I saw her with someone yesterday. It was odd. I know she’s your friend, but would you be honest with me if you knew she was cheating on him?”

“Ori, of course I would. I’m not that good of friends with her. She’s really not very nice to me…or anyone come to think of it. I see the way she treats Kili, and I feel sorry for him.”

“I’ve always appreciated your honesty. Can I ask your opinion of something?”

“Yes.” Arwen leaned forward awaiting more questions. 

“Do you think if Kili broke up with Tauriel, Fili and Kili would get back together?” She could feel his concern. 

“Ori, you need to do the right thing. True love will find a way no matter what happens.”

Arwen knew exactly what he was getting at, and he couldn’t deny it any longer. With much thinking about Fili, Ori made a decision for them.

 

Sitting at the small round table in a quaint little café, Ori couldn’t believe he was here, or rather he couldn’t believe who he was here with. The light brush of fingers through the back of his long hair gave him a chill in a good way as he looked into the eyes of his dark haired date taking a seat very close next to him.

“Here’s your tea, Ori.” Lindir sat the hot specialty tea on the table before him. “I’m very glad you decided to go out with me.”

“I-I feel guilty.” Ori was in his first real relationship, and he’s already cheating on his first boyfriend.

“Ori, I need to apologize to you.” Everything about Lindir seemed different now. His voice, the tone he used changed becoming more serious.

“For what?”

“I know I’ve been forward and rude to you from the first time we met, but it’s how I manage to have enough courage to talk to people I like. Weird, I know, but I feel like if I can put the other person on edge, it makes it easier for me to talk to them. I feel like I’m the one in control when I shock people. I swear I’m not as big of a jerk as you probably think I am.”

“Wow. That’s different. As forward as you’ve been to me and Fili, you must have liked us very much.” The ginger teen wasn't trying to be sarcastic. 

Lindir grinned sheepishly knowing how forward he had been with them. “Yes. I find you both very attractive. I won’t lie, the idea of a threesome still sounds inviting, but I know Fili won’t share you. He doesn’t want anything to do with me anyway. Just as well. I am happy you’re here with me.”

Ori smiled bashfully. It had been a while since he felt so backward around someone. Telling himself, this reaction lets himself know he really likes the person who can make him feel so awkward.

“Would I be too forward if I asked if I could…kiss you?” Ori froze. They weren’t alone, but off to the side of the small café away from most of the other patrons. 

Ori didn’t truly respond, so Lindir took it as a sign leaning over to give him a subtle gentle kiss. The guilty teen didn’t move. This was only the second guy to ever kiss him. A strange feeling flowed through his body. It was that dizzying euphoric feeling he had the first time Fili kissed him.

“Lindir, I…” The dark haired teen pressed his lips against Ori’s again to keep him from saying another word. Before he knew it, after a few sweet gentle kisses, he found his tongue exploring Lindir’s mouth. He had taken the lead in deepening their kiss. Lindir was taken aback by Ori’s move, but loved the way he kissed and melted into him letting his date lead on. 

"Ori, I have to admit, I'm a little shocked now." Ori never thought it possible to make Lindir feel uneasy, but he did.

"Isn't this what you've wanted all along?" Now Ori was being the forward one, and shocked or not Lindir liked it. "I'm going to make this easy on myself...and Fili..."

 

Wednesday, March 4

Kili wasn’t stupid when it came to math, but he looked at the doctor trying to figure out the numbers she was giving them calculating out the months of when their baby would be due. Somehow something wasn’t adding up, and the more he asked Tauriel about it the more confused he became and gave up.

When the teen parked his car, he pulled out the ultrasound picture he had been given, and stared at it before making his way into the house. He threw his backpack on the stairs, and went to the kitchen to grab something to drink. 

Fili was staring in the refrigerator as if something he wanted would magical appear. Kili reached in front of him to get a soda. The blond watched him go into the family room and sprawl out on the couch. Something was wrong, again so he followed him.

“What’s up?” Fili shoved his brother’s legs off the couch to try and sit next to him.

Kili sat up and pulled out the ultrasound picture again to show it to him. “It’s a boy.”

Fili smiled looking at the picture, there was no doubt the baby was a boy. “Sure is.”

“Fili…there is no way this kid is mine.” The two stared at each other. “I’m no expert on babies, but there is no way this kid should be this big yet.”

Concerned for his brother, he tried to help him figure this out. “Do you remember when you had sex with her? I mean the day you forgot…”

“It was the day after our party, so toward the beginning of November I guess. The doctor said she was due sometime in July. Something’s not right here...”


	25. Truth and Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ori and Fili break up, and Tauriel is put on the spot to tell the truth.

Friday, March 6

First thing in the morning at school, Ori shut his locker assuming Fili would be waiting there for him. He was not. Lindir’s angelic face watching him this morning. Ori looked around for Fili. 

“What’re you doing here?”

“I wanted to walk you to class.” Lindir said playfully.

“Fili does that unless he has to hurry. He should be here any minute.” Ori was nervous looking around for his boyfriend.

“Aren’t you going to tell him about…us?” Lindir gave Ori a pouty look.

“I will…when the time is right, but not right now. Go away!”

 

Certain this was the best decision for both of them, Ori left home that evening with intentions of telling Fili about Lindir. Fili had texted him to tell him he would be taking a shower to come on in when he got there, the door would be unlocked. 

As Ori ascended the stairs he saw Fili walking toward him from his bedroom. Ori’s guilt was silently killing him inside as Fili took his face into his hands, and kiss him like he always did upon greeting him. He was so hot standing there in his faded ripped jeans, shirtless with his semi-wet curls falling over his shoulders. Ori couldn’t bring his eyes to look into those beautiful blue eyes.

Looking down, the guilt-ridden teens fingers ghosted over Fili’s newest tattoo on his left side meant for his brother. It was the first time in a very long time Ori stuttered around Fili.

“I-I have…something I need to…t-tell you.” Fili brushed Ori’s hair back pulling him to himself as he leaned against the wall with his arms encircling Ori’s around the waist holding him there.

“It’s alright, Ori...I know about Lindir.” He spoke in a very matter-of-fact tone. He wasn’t angry, nor was he smiling.

“You…do? H-how?”

The blond shook his head, and quietly said “Doesn’t matter. It’s okay.” Looking down where Ori’s hand rested over the tattoo. “I have to tell you something too.”

Ori took a deep breath knowing what was coming. “I’m still in love with Kili, and I can’t deny it anymore. I know I will never not be in love with him, and though I know I told you that when we got together, I didn’t realize how much I meant it until recently.”

“We’re breaking up?” Ori was sad, but somewhat relieved this was going to be a mutual decision between them.

The blond also took a deep cleansing breath and nodded. “Yeah. But…I’ll never not be your friend. Are you cool with that?”

“Friends…yeah, I wouldn’t have it any other way Fee…” Ori’s demeanor was back to normal, completely relaxed around Fili again.

“If I ever flirt with you again in the future, just laugh at me, okay?” Now Fili smiled seeing Ori laugh at his silliness.

Once they physically parted, Ori felt it was a good time to tell his friend about what he saw after school the other day that had him so baffled to see what he thought about it. Fili was none too pleased. He wanted to go straight to Tauriel’s house to strangle the wench, and drag his brother home, but Ori had a plan. Lindir knew of something, Tauriel never counted on.

 

Tauriel led Kili into her bedroom, quietly closing the door behind them. “Dad’s on a business trip and Mom’s asleep. We have all evening together, so we can do whatever we want.” 

“Isn’t that what got us in this mess?” Kili grumbled sarcastically. He did not feel like being here.

“Kili…you’ve been so moody lately.” She opened a drawer to pull out a small box she then opened with a key. “Do you want this?” She handed him a small plastic bag containing a small amount of white power.

He looked at it, then frowned at her. “What are you doing with that? You shouldn’t be doing that while you’re pregnant!”

“It’s the same bag I had at your party. I never used any of it, I swear…do you want it?” He couldn’t take his eyes off the bag now. “You’ve been really grumpy late, this will make you feel good, don’t you think?”

The temptation was too great. “I can’t. I promised Fili I wouldn’t do it anymore.”

“Fili’s not here.” She cooed.

“I had a hard time quitting, I-I can’t.” He shook his head, but continued to stare at the bag she held in front of him wanting it so badly.

The temptress teased him with the drug. “A little won’t hurt…come on…do a line and come to bed with me. I’ll make you feel all better…”

 

Fili went to bed early after Ori left when the movie they were watching was over. Hearing the front door slam woke him from a rather deep sleep. Suddenly their bedroom door flew open, and Kili sort of stumbled and fell into the room. 

Fili flipped on a light to see what was going on. “Kili! What’s wrong with you?” As got close enough to him to help him off the floor, he could smell what was wrong with his brother. “Oh fuck, Kee! How much weed did you smoke?”

The brunette was just about to fall asleep in Fili’s arms as he tried to pull his deadweight into bed. 

“I’m sorry Fee…she tried to…I almost, but I didn’t…I swear I didn’t do any coke…”

“So you smoked a shitload of weed instead?”

“Yep. Allll alone…did I do good Fee?” His smile couldn’t have been any bigger, though he could barely open his bloodshot eyes.

“I wouldn’t say you did good, but at least you resisted the cocaine…that stupid bitch…” Kili's brother had enough of that brazen girl.

Once Fili got him into his bed, he just shook his head and threw a blanket over his wasted brother. “I can’t believe she tried to give you coke. Now she's going to have to deal with me about this.”

 

Dis and Thorin had planned a surprise birthday party for Frerin, so Kili told Tauriel he would not be hanging out with her this Saturday night. She wasn’t very happy about not being invited to the party being thrown at Thorin's house considering she was going to be part of the family, or at least in her mind she was.

The boys were enjoying their first night out as a couple again, and though their family wasn’t always excited about the two of them being _together_ , they were still happy to see both of them happy once more. 

Around ten o’clock Kili received a strange text from Faramir. All he said was _‘Éowyn and I are at dinner, and you won’t believe who we saw here. We need to talk to you when we get home.’_ Kili asked Faramir to let him know when they were on their way home, he and Fili would meet them at his house.

When they got the message Faramir and Éowyn were almost home, they left Thorin and Frerin’s house to wait for them with Boromir. Fili had a feeling he knew who they saw from what Ori had told him last night, and it made his skin crawl to know maybe Ori was on to something. There was truth in what Lindir had told him as well.

Faramir went straight for Kili when the couple walked in seeing their friends there with his brother. 

“Kili, you need to see this…” They all waited for Faramir to work his phone finding the pictures he wanted to show them. “…and Fee, I think there’s more to your set up than we ever thought.”

Kili gasped seeing the couple together at dinner and leaving seeming rather cozy. Fili made a sound of disgust. “Way to go Kee…of all the girls in the world to get involved with, you had to fall for that loser.”

Fili thought about the plan Ori had suggested, and decided it was early enough in the evening to pull this off if they could get everyone together quick enough before Tauriel came home from her _date._ With a few phone calls, their plan was in motion.

Boromir, Faramir and Éowyn asked Legolas to join them as they all went to the Durin’s house. Ori and Lindir did their part in inviting a special guest to join them as they parked Lindir’s car down the street. Kili parked his car in the garage so Fili’s was in the driveway. They wanted it to look like Fili was the only one home alone. Now all they had to do was wait for a certain devious neighbor to arrive home.  
Fili drank a couple beers to calm down and work up the nerve to play this out. When Éowyn watching from the living room window saw Tauriel’s car coming down the street, Fili sent a text to their victim inviting her over. He told her how pissed off his was about the cocaine, and he wanted to talk to her about it.

Everyone hid in the kitchen or family room remaining as quiet as they had ever been in their lives waiting to hear what Tauriel was going to do or say when she was alone with Fili.

Once inside the small foyer, she immediately tried to defend herself concerning the cocaine incident with Kili. 

“Fili, I swear I only offered it to him to make him feel good again! He’s been so moody and seems so depressed lately…”

“I’d be depressed being around you too! You know he had a problem with coke, why would you try to get him to do again? Do you want your baby’s father to be a coke addict?” She shut her mouth to actually listen to him for a second. 

“Well, no…I just wanted him to relax so we could have fun last night. It’s been a long time since we got to…do anything…he’s not here, is he?” She just realized how alone they were moving closer to him. “You’ve been drinking, haven’t you?”

Fili looked around _‘Oh shit…I didn’t sign up for this!’_

“Yeah, so what?” He backed away from her as she tried to touch his hair moving closer yet to him.

“Maybe we could have a little fun since we’re here all alone.” In the other room, Kili’s eyes grew wide knowing how much Fili hated her. 

“I only had two beers, and even if I was drunk I’m not stupid enough to do anything with you! What about Kili?” He continued to back up until she had him against the wall. 

“What about him? Come on, Fili…he’ll never know unless you tell him, and he wouldn’t believe you if you did! He believes everything I tell him…”

Fili found his opportunity. “You mean like telling him that baby is his?”

In an instant she backed away from the blond. “What did you say?”

“That’s baby's not his, is it?” Fili’s cocky smirk got to her.

“Uhh, uhh, uhh, of course it is! Why would you say that?” She stammered trying to figure out his angle.

“Because you’ve been seen with an unsavory person, and everything is coming clear to everyone now. You’re nothing but a conniving, lying, selfish bitch! Why are you trying to ruin my brother’s life? You tried to ruin mine in the process of manipulating Kili, stealing him from me!”

“I-I-I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Her voice was straining against the lies.

Fili lifted Faramir’s phone to show her one of the pictures of her and her date from earlier that evening. “Can you explain what you were doing with him?”

“It-It was a business deal.” 

“What business would you have with him?” Fili had no problem asking blunt questions now.

“I owed him money for drugs I sold.” Turning her eyes away, she couldn't look at her blond accuser. 

“Be careful what you say, Tauriel…I have witnesses…” Fili walked away from the foyer into the kitchen waiting for her to follow him as a light came on in the family room, and every walked out to surprise the deceitful girl. 

The girl that came with Lindir and Ori walked right up to Tauriel and slapped her. “It was bad enough you stole my boyfriend, you went and got knocked up by him too, you fucking bitch!”

Tauriel let out a yelp as everyone looked around at each other. Though most of them knew what was going on here now, all eyes were on Kili stepping up to her next.

“Tell me the truth…is that baby mine or not?”


	26. The Whole Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tauriel is put on the spot to tell everyone what really happened.

There was no getting out of this situation with any dignity at this point. Looking around at all the angry faces staring at her, Tauriel knew she had wronged almost every person in this room awaiting her answer to Kili’s demanding question. 

Dropping her head in shame, tears began fall as she shook her head and answered, “No.” The room became exceptionally silent.

Kili was torn with emotion. He should have been elated that the responsibility of a child had been removed from his life, and grateful for her honesty, but he was saddened and angry over the loss of what he thought was his that took him so long to except.

Feeling hurt, angry and embarrassed, he ran to his room as everyone could hear the door slam. One by one everyone took a turn berating her for what she’d done to Kili, and to each of them. 

Legolas started. “You had me wrapped around you finger just as you did Kili. You cheated on me every chance you got. You went _too_ far this time.”

“Yes, I was one of the guys she tried to cheat on you with, Legolas. She’s never tried that again, have you Tauriel?” Boromir had put her in place with him back then. 

Faramir told on her as well. “Since we’re all being honest here, Éowyn, your friend came on to me one day last summer at a party, and another party just after school started. Oh and, that one day Dad asked me to take something over to her house for her dad.” He looked apologetically to his girlfriend. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t say anything to you because she’s your best friend.”

Éowyn’s mouth dropped looking from her boyfriend to the redhead who would not, could not look at her only real friend she ever had growing up. “WAS my best friend! 

“Everyone here heard you come on to me just before we walked in here…” Fili shrugged his shoulders. “They heard everything you said. Even the part about how Kili would believe _anything_ you’d say.” 

Tauriel shut her eyes while her tears continued to flow down her cheeks. Closer to the truth of everything they came.

“It was you that made me and Fili believe we had sex together the night of the party, wasn’t it? You wanted Kili to be angry with us.” Ori was still baffled how that happened, as was Fili who added. “How did you set us up without us remembering anything?” 

“I…had help.” The deceitful girl looked at the girl who had accused her of stealing her boyfriend, then Lindir and Legolas. She was the girl in the Durin’s basement Kili saw, but vaguely remembered. “I’m sorry for Azog cheating on you with me. He never told me he had a girlfriend the night we met. We were getting high together and then we started drinking, and it just happened…we certainly didn’t mean for this to happen…” she said as she gestured toward her swollen belly.

_Saturday, September 27_

_Tauriel had a cousin who went to the same school Lindir came from, who invited her to go to a party with her this weekend. With nothing better to do, she went to the party alone to meet her cousin. The party was being held at Azog’s cousin, Bolg’s house. She didn’t know that until she ran into Azog there. They were never friends before, but didn’t dislike one another._

_Azog offered her some cocaine which she loved, and after that they hung out together the rest of the night drinking until one thing led to another. Azog took advantage of Tauriel’s intoxication as his girlfriend was not able to be at the party that night._

_Tauriel didn’t know of Azog’s girlfriend, but continued to sneak off to see him while she was with Legolas even after Azog told her about his girlfriend. When Tauriel found out she was pregnant two weeks before the Durin’s party, she went to Azog to tell him and ask for his help. Azog didn’t want anything to do with having the baby. After she refused his pleas for her to get an abortion, he didn’t want anything more to do with her either._

_Her attention had turned toward her childhood crush. They had been fighting more often than not, so Bard threw them together to work out their differences. Kili kissed her, and she knew right then what she wanted. She wanted Kili, and Fili was in the way of her destiny. She needed to get rid of Fili in order to have Kili all to herself._

_It was the day Bolg broke into Óin’s house. Gimli helped explain the best way to break into the house without anyone noticing, and where to find the drugs the thug teen wanted to steal without making it look obvious. Azog wanted some of the drugs for himself, and some to sell._

_Tauriel found out about what the three had done, and threatened to turn them in if they didn’t help her. It was the least Azog could do for her, she thought. When she explained how she wanted to get rid of Fili, Gimli devised a devious plan of his own. Gimli had Bolg put the unwanted sedatives in Fili’s locker after Tauriel took some of the drug with her, and then he called in a tip to the police to bust Fili._

_Knowing Bolg had stolen the certain sedative, Tauriel wanted to use it on Fili and Ori. She knew if she slipped some in their drink, they would eventually pass out, and never remember anything. For her sake, Fili at least almost made it up the stairs on his own, but she didn’t know how she was going to get Ori upstairs. That’s when she called Bolg to help carry the skinny teen upstairs, and help her ‘set them up’._

_Lindir caught a glimpse of Bolg, but didn’t recognize him in the darken foyer from the living room where he stood. All he could see was the big guy carrying Ori up the stairs as did Arwen. Bolg gave Tauriel the cocaine Azog had promised her before he left, and she agreed to help sell some for them._

_Azog’s girlfriend had found out about Tauriel. She knew Lindir was going to school with those two now, and asked him about her. When she found out Tauriel was dating Legolas, she asked Lindir to help her contact him. The girl met up with Lindir and Legolas at the Durin’s party to confront Tauriel. That was the fight they had in the basement when Legolas broke up with Tauriel, and he left the party with Azog's ex, leaving Tauriel free to take advantage of inebriated Kili before Boromir and Fili caught them together._

_Tauriel left her purse behind for Kili to find so she could invite him over to her house to get it back from him. Her plan worked perfectly as she also intended with confidence to come on to him and get him into her bed quickly hoping he would forget to use protection._

Things began to change when Tauriel told Azog she no longer wanted to sell drugs for him. As recent as this evening, he threatened to tell Kili the truth if she stopped selling for him.

Tauriel loved Kili too much to let him go that easily. She wanted him to believe her baby was his, and she wanted to marry him. The delusional girl was in obvious need of help.

For a moment everyone felt sorry for her, but no one was going to take pity on her. Especially Fili. 

“You’re a filthy tramp. You came on to your best friend’s boyfriend, his brother, and you came on to me knowing how much I _hate_ you while you were supposed to be with _my_ brother! You not only cheated on Legolas, but you messed around with Azog even after you found out he had a girlfriend. Then you screwed my brother after you found out you were pregnant, setting him up!” The furious blond was just getting started.

“You had the nerve to drug me and Ori to set us up to make us believe we had sex together, and you let me get arrested for drugs in my locker just to get me out of Kili’s life! You tried to give Kili cocaine knowing he used to be addicted to it! Worst of all, you _really_ had Kili believing that baby was his and talked him into wanting to marry you! Thank God Mom had enough sense to tell him he had to wait until he was eighteen to marry you, you fucking bitch!”

Éowyn grabbed Faramir by the hand pulling along behind her as she got in Tauriel’s face. “Don’t EVER speak to me again. You not only betrayed my friendship, but knowing what you’ve done to Kili is unforgivable!” 

Tauriel’s mouth dropped open, but she knew there was nothing she could say in her defense as the couple left the house with Boromir right behind them.

Legolas walked past the redhead who was now sobbing. “I have nothing to say you that you don’t already know. You know where we stand.” As the satisfied ex-boyfriend left the house, Lindir, Ori and Azog’s ex followed him with absolutely nothing more to say.

Tauriel wiped the river of tears, now fearing being alone with Fili who still was not done with her. “You need to leave this house and NEVER come back.”

The shaken girl tried to speak, but was cut off instantly. “Fili, I’m sorry…”

“Don’t tell me you’re sorry. You are _not_ sorry for anything you’ve done, or you wouldn’t have done any of the things you’ve done to everyone around you! You not only hurt all of us that were here tonight, but look what you’ve done to your parents and my mom! You owe my mother an apology for the hell she’s been through worrying about this baby thing and Kili! The thing you’ve really done to hurt me more than anything is knowing how much you hurt my brother, and that _is_ unforgivable!”

Tauriel started to walk through the hallway away from Fili still standing in the kitchen. “I need to talk to Kili, and tell him how sorry I am.”

“No! You stay away from him! You’ve done enough! Don’t _ever_ speak to him again!” Fili hastily walked up behind the girl heading her toward the door. As Tauriel stepped outside, Fili held the door with one last thing to say to her before he slammed it closed. “I’m sure Kili knows how _sorry_ you are now.”

*********

Without a word between them, Fili slipped Kili into his arms as he sat on the bed with his distraught brother. Fili felt helpless knowing there wasn’t anything he could say to make the pain go away. The ever present protective brother did what he always did for his younger sibling as his mother always asked him do though she didn’t need to. Fili would help Kili anyway he could, and right now Kili just wanted to vent his feelings.

“I was so scared and angry when Tauriel told me she was pregnant, I didn’t know what to do. It took me so long to come to terms with knowing I was going to be a father, and just when I was happy about it, I find out the baby’s not even mine! Fili, I was becoming attached to that baby thinking he was mine and…I really wanted him…”

Fili continued to hold his brother rocking him ever so slightly, and pressed a kiss into his hair. “I’m sorry this has happened to you…I can’t say anything more because I can’t possibly know how you feel, and I won’t try. I want you to know I’m here for you, now and always.”

“I know Fee. I love you. You’re the best brother ever.”

“I know I am.” He joked trying only for a moment to get a smile from Kili before he continued. “Hey…I want you to know…when we’re older…much older…if you ever decide you want a family of your own, promise me we’ll talk about it before you run off with a girl again.”

Kili sat up a little and snickered until he realized his brother wasn’t joking about that. “I’ll never leave you again. That I can promise you. You’re all want, and all I’ll ever need, Fili.”

“I don’t have to think twice about that either. You’re all I’ll ever want or need too, Kee…you and me forever?”

“Forever.”


	27. Graduation and Good-Byes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The seniors of Erebor High graduate, and Ori's moving away.

Saturday, May 30

“I wish you would’ve shaved and gotten your hair cut for today!”

Dori fixed Ori’s hair with shaky hands making sure every strand was neatly in place before adjusting his brother’s bowtie. Nori stood back taking pictures of his particular older brother doting on his fidgety younger brother.

“I like my longer hair and my beard Dori. We’ve been over this.” Ori sighed.

“At least I got you out of those t-shirts and tight jeans for a day.” Nori rolled his eyes when Ori looked to him for help. “I can’t believe you’re graduating today!”

Nori agreed with a chuckle. “Me either! Seems like just the other day we couldn’t get him out the front door to go to school his first day. Now look at him standing here all grown up ready to pick up his diploma!”

Feeling very accomplished, Ori gave his biggest smile as Nori set the camera on a timer so they could have a family picture at home together before they headed out. 

The high school’s graduation ceremony was being held at Erebor University to hold the number of family and friends who would be in attendance. As the Ri brothers parked and exited Dori’s car, Ori was greeted by two pretty girls running towards him.

“Arwen! Éowyn!” Ori opened his arms for both girls to hug him at the same time.

Dori looked at Nori who was grinning from ear-to-ear, as Ori rambled on talking keeping up with the girls as they guided him toward the building. 

Once inside, Ori felt a little overwhelmed by the crowds of people already there. Family members taking pictures, people trying to find seats, some seniors still getting their robes on, some helping one another with their caps until finally, it was time.

The speeches were given by administrators, the principal, a teacher, and the valedictorian before one by one the names of each student were called in alphabetically order by last names for the graduates to walk up and receive their diploma. 

Fili was the first of all the friends to receive his, throwing a fist in the air as he returned to his seat while in the auditorium Kili clapped quietly wearing a huge smile sitting next to Dis also smiling proudly for her eldest son as she put an arm around her youngest. Fili’s uncles Thorin and Frerin, and cousins Balin and Dwalin were there for him as well as a show of support for their other senior students. 

Boromir, Legolas, Lindir, Bard and Arwen all received their diplomas as their families and friends quietly cheered them on as well.

When Ori’s name was called, he stood nervously knowing hundreds of eyes would be watching his every move. All his life whenever he had to do anything in front of a large crowd of people, his body would tremble in fear that he would trip and fall in front of everyone. 

Beads of nervous perspiration began to break out everywhere on his body as he reached the few steps he needed to climb to the stage to receive his diploma. Just as he got to the last step which would be the stage itself, Ori’s shoe caught the lip of the stage and he fell. 

At first there was a gasp, especially loud coming from Dori who sat up taller to see, but then it all happened so fast. No, he didn’t fall, rather he tumbled and rolled. Something he had learned in sword fighting class. He rolled right up onto his feet with a jump to make it look almost like he did it on purpose, then looked out at his graduating class, who couldn’t help but cheer for him. 

The administrator who had strict rules about no cheering until the end of the ceremony also couldn’t help laugh and clap for him briefly before quieting the room. 

_‘I did it!’_ Ori’s brief moment of terror when he fell was turned into a spontaneous moment of happiness and laughter when clarity hit him. It was key not to take life so seriously. Everyone will trip in front of others some time in their life, physically or otherwise. _'What was that saying, ‘When life hands you lemons, make lemonade?’_ Yeah. He was going to be alright. 

As Ori was returning to his seat, a certain blond with bright blue eyes caught his attention. Fili was sitting in the seat next to the isle just waiting for Ori to pass by. As Ori approached, Fili gave him a wickedly sexy look, wetting his lips, flipping his tongue ring at him with a wink before biting his bottom lip in an ever so sensual way before he smiled causing his dimples to grow. Ori shook his head and laughed continuing his walk back to his seat as Fili also silently laughed about it.

After all the students’ names were called and diplomas were handed out, someone gave a final speech before the seniors caps flew into the air, and the roar of celebratory cheering rang through the auditorium. It was truly a joyous moment for all. 

Ori met up with Fili before either one was whisked away by their families. 

“Hey Fili, I uh…I wanted to thank you.”

“For what?” the blond tipped his head.

“Making this the best year of my life.” Ori was very serious about that.

Fili smiled clamping Ori’s shoulder giving it a little squeeze. “The only thing I did was allow you to feel comfortable around me and my friends so you could be who you wanted to be…Einstein. Like leading a horse to water, I didn’t do anything but give you opportunity whenever the opportunity was there, and you only did what you were willing to open yourself up to. Everything else was all you, bro.”

Ori couldn’t help, but throw his arms around Fili and give him a tight hug as his soft brown eyes became teary looking into his first true love’s blue eyes.

“It was even more than that to me, Fili. You were my first kiss, my first love, my first…everything. I wouldn’t be who I am now if it wasn’t for you. I’ll never forget you.”

Fili furrowed his brow. “Forget me? We got all summer to hang out together! Don’t say good-bye yet!”

Ori swallowed hard fighting back the tears. “I’m actually moving away next week.”

“Oh.” This was rather abrupt news. “Where are you going?”

“I’m moving to Rivendell with Lindir. We’re both going to college there in the fall, and decided to go ahead and move now.” 

Letting out a deep breath, Fili tried to smile for his friend already feeling the loss. “Great.” He turned to walk away hearing Kili yelling for him. “Take care, Ori. Keep in touch, alright?”

“Sure thing.” Ori watched his friend walk away. 

Kili saw Ori, and waved. Apparently Fili had quickly told his brother what he’d just learn about Ori as Kili shouted to him, “Good luck, Bowtie! Come back and see us sometime, okay?” Ori just nodded watching them disappear into the crowds together.

A tear ran down his cheek, but was quickly wiped away by a gentle finger and a sweet loving kiss. “I’m sure it was hard to say good-bye, but we’re starting a new life together, Ori. I love you,”

Ori just nodded and gave his new love a squeeze while hearing a voice in his head say, _‘It’s takes time to know when you’re truly 'in love' with someone, Ori.’_

 

The Durin’s had a graduation party for Fili, just the immediate family and Bilbo this time. They liked to have parties, and this of course was a special occasion. It was a little past midnight, and for whatever reason Fili decided he wanted to sit on the front porch alone on this cool clear night. Looking into the night sky at first, then leaning his arms on his knees looking down at the ground, a familiar blue car pulled up.

When he saw Ori walking up the driveway, he couldn’t believe it. “What are you doing here?” He said with a smile going out to meet him half way. 

“I forgot to give you something before you left today...” Ori strode right up to Fili and put an arm around his waist and a hand behind his head pulling him against himself giving Fili a gentle but firm kiss that he held much longer than a quick kiss before releasing him. “I feel better now.” He took a deep breath and exhaled. 

Fili didn’t know what to think or say about what Ori did other than to calmly question his actions. “What was that for?”

“I couldn’t leave without knowing for sure.”

“Knowing what?”

“Whether or not I was still _in love_ with you or not.”

“And…are you?”

Hesitantly, Ori answered honestly. “No…but, I’ll always love you.”

“Me too. You’ll always have a special place in my heart, Ori.” Fili said with a sense of relief walking backwards as Ori turned away.

“Yeah. I’ll text you, and maybe we can Skype sometime, okay?” Ori said as he got back inside his car.

“You better, Einstein! See ya 'round!” Fili waved to Ori as his car pulled away.

 

Dori finished packing Ori’s last bag for Nori to carry out to the car by the time Ori had gotten out of the shower. The college bound teen walk into his bedroom wearing only his black briefs shaking his long damp hair not realizing Dori was in his room.

Dori gasped and pointed at his brother’s chest. “What in the name of…what did you do to your body?” 

Ori looked down with a smile and shook his head. “I’ve had the tattoo and the piercing for quite a long time now. It didn’t make me sick, it didn’t affect my grades…Dori, its fine. That tattoo helped motivate me plenty of times, can you see what it says?” After his brother calmed down, he had one last thing to say before he left.

“Thank you. Thank you for caring so much about me, Dori. You helped take care of me and Nori after Mom died, and I know it wasn’t easy. I never made any changes to myself that I didn’t want to make. I know you didn’t like Fili and Kili, but they helped me find who I wanted to be.”

“I understand, Ori. I felt such a loss when Mother died, I only ever wanted to protect you from the bad things in this world to keep you safe. I realize now, I over did it. I’m sorry.” Dori hung his head knowing how overprotective he had been with Ori.

“Nothing to be sorry for. You meant well, and I love you for it.” Ori gave Dori a big hug. He finished dressing and made sure everything was packed. Giving his bedroom one last look around, Ori was ready to go.

Before closing his bedroom door, a framed photograph sitting on the nightstand of himself when he was younger caught his eye. Dressed in khakis, a button-down shirt with a bowtie wearing his thick black framed glasses with a cleaned shaven face and short hair, he smiled, and said, “Good-bye, Ori…” 


	28. Thorin's Last Assignment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thorin reads Fili and Ori's last assignment.

Wednesday, June 10

Every school year, Thorin asks the seniors of his creative writing class to keep a journal about themselves and life around them throughout the year. By the end of the school year, he wanted them to write a summary of their last year of high school for him. He doesn’t do it for a grade, there’s nothing creative about writing your daily life. Life is creative enough. He does it because he liked to see how the students reflect on their last year of high school, and what they have learned in general about life or about themselves before beginning a new chapter in their lives. 

Fixing his sunglasses and making himself comfortable, Thorin stretched out on his lounge chair near their in-ground swimming pool on very warm sunny summer day. Drinking his favorite iced tea, he randomly pulled out one of his senior students’ journal summary folder to read.  
He chuckled seeing the first one he chose was Fili’s. Fili was embarrassed to write his because, well, Thorin being his uncle pretty much already knew everything about him, what more could he write about?

 

_What I Learned by Fili Durin_

_I was looking forward to my senior year just to get it over with. I couldn’t wait to graduate and start my adult life. Little did I know how much responsibility comes with being an adult. Without all the details because you, Thorin already know the details, I can sum up my year by saying I learned that your life can be changed in the blink of an eye. Making one mistake like having unprotected sex one time, driving drunk one time, saying the wrong thing in the heat of the moment one time, or not being honest with others can change the course of your life or someone else’s forever._

_I learned how much I love my family. My uncles have always been there for me filling in for the dad I lost so many years ago. My mom’s love, strength and devotion is unwavering. My brother is my everything._

__

_You can fall in and out of love, but true love is undeniable. I also learned from my new best friend this year, it is important to be yourself in order to be happy. Believe in yourself and don't be afraid to try new things. Because of him I also learned true friends are forever. No matter where they are or how often you see or hear from them, they will always be in your heart with fond memories and love._

*

Thorin closed the blue folder actually wiping a tear from his eye before laying it aside. After reading Fili’s summary, he wanted to read Ori’s so he sorted through the folders until he found Ori’s red folder, and began to read.

*

_The Transformation of Ori by Ori Ri_

__

_My senior year was hard to summarize because so much happened to me and everyone around me. I was terrified to go to Erebor High my senior year after being in a very small private school where I was sheltered and catered to all my life. In hind sight, going to this school was the best thing that ever happened to me._

__

_The new friends I made here were the reason I’m actually proud of who I am now. They taught me how important it is to care about your friends. Be supportive, watch out for them and protect them in every way._

__

_Arwen was my sanctuary. Whenever I needed to feel a sense of peace and serenity, I went to her for support and advice. She always gave good advice. Be yourself was the best thing she could have ever told me._

__

_Boromir was my rock. I never knew such a big tough guy could be so supportive and caring. I could always count on him to pick me up when I was down, sometimes literally._

__

_Faramir showed me loyalty. One time I got in trouble for something that wasn’t my fault, and he tried to take the blame for me though he didn’t do it either. He showed me a true friend will not hide important information from a friend when it could impact their life._

__

_Éowyn showed me anyone can do whatever they want if they put their mind to it. She may have been a sweet beautiful girl on the outside, but there was a warrior on the inside._

__

_Bifur the janitor taught me sometimes you can learn more by keeping your mouth shut and your ears open._

__

_Bofur taught me no matter what you do the universe will support you. Yeah. There is truth to that._

__

_Tauriel taught me deceitful, manipulative liars and cheaters will fall eventually, and have to live with guilt for what they’ve done to others._

__

_Kili taught me it’s okay to be curious, but be careful where your curiosity takes you. He taught me taking responsibility for your actions is the right thing to do. He showed me loyalty and forgiveness. He showed me how friends will come to your rescue when you need them, and support you. How forgiving someone can not only change your life, but the person you are forgiving as well. He taught me honesty is the best policy. His honesty with Fili brought them back together where they belonged._

__

_The best part of my year was my new best friend, Fili. When I started school here, I was afraid of everything. Fili befriended me in the morning on my first day in the school hallway even before my first class. He was there when I was terrified of going into the cafeteria the first time. Safe. I felt safe around him. He was protective of me, and I knew no matter what happened he had my back._

_He introduced me to all his friends making me part of their circle. Sometimes Fili had to talk me into trying new things, but I was usually a better person for it. The sword fighting class helped me become more physically active, and gave me a lot of confidence I never had before. Though my body could never achieve the goals I set for myself, it was worth trying. I did build muscle I never thought possible, and I’m happy for that though I will never look like Fili. I wanted to be like him and Kili in so many ways even physically, so I grew out my hair and grew a beard. I got contacts so I could ditch my thick glasses, and I began to dress differently. I would still wear my bowtie from time to time, but it was my signature piece. Kili nicknamed me ‘Bowtie’ and I loved it because it was me. I grew up wearing bowties in my private school, and it became a part of my identity. Something’s never change, and that’s not a bad thing either. Fili never tried to change me, it was because of him I was able to find who I wanted to be._

_There were a lot of firsts for me with him. Fili gave me courage to not be so afraid of everything, and have an open mind. I know this summary is between you and me, Thorin so I can be open with you now. I had so many firsts Fili. I had my first beer with him, I got a tattoo and a piercing for the first time with him. I had my first kiss with him, and he became my first true love._

_Watching all the things others were going through around me changed me too. I saw how people treated each other affected those around them. How intertwined their lives became. I was a part of that too. Fili and Kili happened to be at a point in their lives where they questioned their relationship, and became curious about what it would be like to be have a relationship with someone else. They tested the waters, and found what they had was all they needed coming full circle back to one another. I found out what true love feels like. I was in love with Fili, and though he loved me, he wasn’t 'in love' with me. That's alright because I have a new love now. He says he loves me, but I’m taking it slow. I’ll know when I’m in love again._

_My brothers changed my life this year too. Nori showed me more than ever how much I could confide and count on him to be there for me when I needed him. He stood up for me several times this past year allowing me the chance to try new things. Because of him I was allowed to get involved with the sword fighting class, and was allowed to learn how to drive. He even agreed and joined Fili in secretly teaching me how fight so I could defend myself if I ever had to again._

_And Dori. He was more overprotective than Mother ever was, but his heart was in the right place with all good intentions. All of his fussy, worrisome ways repressed me so much though. I felt trapped, and because I didn’t want to disappoint him, I was afraid to break out of my shell and do things my way. I just wanted to grow up, and he was afraid to let me go. It’s all good now though. Dori didn’t want to me go to college so far away because I had lived here all my life, but I got my scholarship and I was ready to start my life with Lindir in a new town. Dori is proud of me, and that’s all that matters whether he likes my new look or not, I’m still me. I’ll always be Einstein._

_My transformation took me from a shy, innocent, nervous, timid boy to a strong, confident, knowledgeable, more assertive eighteen-year-old young man. I’ve said good-bye to my old life and the friends I'll never forget as I’m ready to begin a new adventure at college as my new improved self in a new town with my new partner ready to make new friends._

_This new Ori is ready to take on the world and whatever my future holds thanks to my senior year at Erebor High._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually very sad to say good-bye to all these characters! :'( Thank you so much for the kudos and your comments that kept me going! Thank you everyone for reading, I do hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it!


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